The age of autonomy – the role of higher education in the building of the nation

Abstract

The chapter opens by a discussion about the age of the Napoleonic Wars, which has been regarded as one of the most critical periods in the history of European universities. The author reflects on two solutions provided for the crisis: the grandes écoles of France and the Humboldtian university in Germany. In Finland, however, the situation was different, the Russian Empire conquering the country in 1808–1809 and granting Finland the status of an autonomous Grand Duchy. The author discusses the consequences of Finland’s separation from Sweden and gives an overview of Finnish history during the age of Autonomy. When accepting the new status quo in Finland, the University of Turku played an important role, because it was one of the first social institutions that pledged loyalty to the Russian emperor. The emperor provided more resources for the university, and in 1827, when moved to the new capital, Helsinki, the university was renamed the Imperial Alexander University. The author discusses how and why the university played an important role in the nation-building processes, supporting as it did the development of the Finnish language and Finnish culture. Using statistical data, the author also explores the students’ and professors’ socio-economic background.