The Universités Populaires

The Universités Populaires movement embodied Belle Époque faith in education as liberation. These "people's universities" brought higher learning to workers excluded from formal education. By 1901, Paris had twenty-five such institutions, offering evening lectures on everything from literature to science.

The movement attracted remarkable intellectuals. Anatole France lectured on literature. Jean Jaurès explained socialism. Marie Curie demonstrated scientific principles. These weren't simplified presentations but serious intellectual engagement. Workers studied philosophy, debated political economy, analyzed artistic movements.

Women participated enthusiastically despite obstacles. Most Universités Populaires met evenings when women faced domestic duties. Some established afternoon sessions for women, covering identical material. The sight of charwomen discussing Kant or laundresses analyzing Zola challenged every assumption about intellectual capacity and class.

The Catholic Church, threatened by secular education's spread, established competing institutions. The Universités Catholiques offered similar programs within religious frameworks. Competition improved both—workers benefited from expanded educational options while ideological battles raged overhead.