The Gentile Reform of 1923 and Italian Higher Education

Abstract

This article focuses on how Italian higher education was organized and managed in the early years of fascism. The main reasons why the fascist government of Italy initiated a national educational reform in 1923 are considered. The objective problems in education that Italian society faced during this period are analyzed. Special attention is given to the ideological goals that Giovanni Gentile, the Minister of Education, pursued with this reform. The reform led to fundamental changes in the traditional educational system of the Kingdom of Italy. Some radical innovations were also spurred in its higher education, such as the division of universities into different types (depending on state funding), the enhancement of the role of the rector in university life, the valorization of humanities education over that in technical and natural sciences, etc. The Gentile reform was received with mixed feelings by Italian society, including part of the leadership of the fascist party. The contradictions inherent in the reform ideology affected its results. The attempt to improve the quality of university education by standardizing academic requirements and introducing a system of uniform state examinations, contrary to the idealistic goals declared by G. Gentile himself, was the first step toward greater interference by the fascist regime in university activities, reflecting the general trend to the establishment of full state control over society.