The Ravages of War: Romanian Schools in Transylvania (1914-1919)

The scale of World War I profoundly affected, at all levels, the states involved. Social and cultural life suffered enormously. This paper analyzes the situation of Romanian school education in Transylvania during the Great War. It considers how the hardships of daily life affected school attendance by children and the very functioning of schools. It was obviously a time of great indigence, not only because of the enormous price increases for food and other products. The conscription of the men had a strong negative impact on society, affecting household functionality and hence the living standards. A major issue was the conscription of teachers and professors, creating an unstable situation with a strong impact on education. The sources used for this paper are the Romanian press in Transylvania, memoirs, and archival documents. This study aims to show how Romanian school authorities coped with these challenges in an attempt to keep the schools open, wherever possible.