As the result of a complicated political process, initiated by a royal proposition on February 1, 1840, the school act of 1842 was issued on June 18, 1842, signed by the aged King Karl XIV Johan, born Jean Bernadotte and former Marshal of France.[1] Although targeted by recurrent criticism, continuously revised by circulars and regulations, and two the renewed school acts of 1882 and 1897, the school act nevertheless created the main structure of the Swedish primary school system that lasted throughout the nineteenth century.
In this paper, I will therefore focus on the school act of 1842 and its preconditions, contents and consequences. I will show how the school act was the result of a lengthy political debate, spanning decades, on popular education, describe the school system that the school acts designed, and discuss the effects of the act, using both existing research on the topic and primary sources