École Libre des Sciences Politiques
Encyclopedia
École Libre des Sciences Politiques (English: Private School of Political Studies), often referred to as the École des Sciences Politiques or simply Sciences Po was created in Paris in February 1872 by a group of European intellectuals, politicians and businessmen, which included Hippolyte Taine
, Ernest Renan
, Albert Sorel
, Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu
, François Guizot
, and led by Émile Boutmy
.
, these men sought to introduce new teaching reforms in order to renew the training of French politicians. Politically and economically, people feared that France's international stature was waning due to inadequate teaching of its politicians and diplomatic corps. Thus, the Sciences Po developed a humanistic and pragmatic teaching program. It departed from the French higher education system of its time by emphasizing the scientific and objective study of the social sciences from a pragmatic and practical point of view.
The instructors at the Sciences Po included not only famous academics, but also practicians: Ministers, High civil servants at the Banque de France
, members of the Conseil d'État. The chief mission of the school was the training of the next generation of the political and diplomatic elite in France and, arguably, the French-speaking world. New matters such as international relations, international law, comparative government, and compared constitutional history were introduced. Sport was also compulsory, and an important emphasis was put on the study of contemporary foreign societies.
For 70 years, the institution, located on Rue Saint-Guillaume in the Left Bank of Paris
, raised generations of politicians, government officials, French (and foreign) business executives, diplomats, and economic advisers equipped with a solid base of cultural knowledge and introduced them to the central dilemmas of contemporary international life.
nationalized the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques. The school was split into two entities: the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques
(English: National Foundation of Political Studies) and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
(English: Paris Institute of Political Studies). Both of these institutions exist today, and represent the research and teaching prestige of the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques. Both the foundation and the institute are the direct descendants of that school, and are collectively referred to as the Sciences Po.
Charles de Gaulle used the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques as the template for creating an entire system of institutes of political studies in France, referred to as Institut d'études politiques
or IEP. Aside from Paris Institute of Political Studies, there are eight other institutes across France. They are located in Aix-en-Provence
, Bordeaux
, Grenoble
, Lille
, Lyon
, Rennes
, Strasbourg
and Toulouse
, and their vocation is the study and research of contemporary social sciences.
Hippolyte Taine
Hippolyte Adolphe Taine was a French critic and historian. He was the chief theoretical influence of French naturalism, a major proponent of sociological positivism, and one of the first practitioners of historicist criticism. Literary historicism as a critical movement has been said to originate...
, Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan was a French expert of Middle East ancient languages and civilizations, philosopher and writer, devoted to his native province of Brittany...
, Albert Sorel
Albert Sorel
Albert Sorel , was a French historian. He was born at Honfleur and remained throughout his life a lover of his native Normandy. His father, a rich manufacturer, wanted him to take over the business but his literary vocation prevailed. He went to live in Paris, where he studied law and, after a...
, Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu
Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu
Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu was a French economist, brother of Henri Jean Baptiste Anatole Leroy-Beaulieu, born at Saumur, Maine-et-Loire on the 9th of December 1843, and educated in Paris at the Lycée Bonaparte and the École de Droit...
, François Guizot
François Guizot
François Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848, a conservative liberal who opposed the attempt by King Charles X to usurp legislative power, and worked to sustain a constitutional...
, and led by Émile Boutmy
Émile Boutmy
Émile Boutmy was a French political scientist and sociologist who was a native of Paris.He studied law in Paris, and from 1867 to 1870 gave lectures on the history and culture of civilizations pertaining to architecture at the École Spéciale d'Architecture...
.
General information
Following the defeat in the 1870 war, the demise of Napoleon III, and the Paris CommuneParis Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
, these men sought to introduce new teaching reforms in order to renew the training of French politicians. Politically and economically, people feared that France's international stature was waning due to inadequate teaching of its politicians and diplomatic corps. Thus, the Sciences Po developed a humanistic and pragmatic teaching program. It departed from the French higher education system of its time by emphasizing the scientific and objective study of the social sciences from a pragmatic and practical point of view.
The instructors at the Sciences Po included not only famous academics, but also practicians: Ministers, High civil servants at the Banque de France
Banque de France
The Banque de France is the central bank of France; it is linked to the European Central Bank . Its main charge is to implement the interest rate policy of the European System of Central Banks...
, members of the Conseil d'État. The chief mission of the school was the training of the next generation of the political and diplomatic elite in France and, arguably, the French-speaking world. New matters such as international relations, international law, comparative government, and compared constitutional history were introduced. Sport was also compulsory, and an important emphasis was put on the study of contemporary foreign societies.
For 70 years, the institution, located on Rue Saint-Guillaume in the Left Bank of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, raised generations of politicians, government officials, French (and foreign) business executives, diplomats, and economic advisers equipped with a solid base of cultural knowledge and introduced them to the central dilemmas of contemporary international life.
Educational Reforms of 1945
On 9 October 1945, General Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
nationalized the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques. The school was split into two entities: the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques
Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques
Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques , or FNSP, was created by ordinance of Charles de Gaulle in 1945 to manage the transition of École Libre des Sciences Politiques into Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris or IEP Paris The mission of the FNSP was then and is today the management of the...
(English: National Foundation of Political Studies) and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
(English: Paris Institute of Political Studies). Both of these institutions exist today, and represent the research and teaching prestige of the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques. Both the foundation and the institute are the direct descendants of that school, and are collectively referred to as the Sciences Po.
Charles de Gaulle used the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques as the template for creating an entire system of institutes of political studies in France, referred to as Institut d'études politiques
Institut d'études politiques
Instituts d'études politiques , or IEPs, are nine publicly owned institutions of higher learning in France. They are located in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Paris, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse , and their vocation is the study and research of contemporary political science...
or IEP. Aside from Paris Institute of Political Studies, there are eight other institutes across France. They are located in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, and their vocation is the study and research of contemporary social sciences.
Students
- Eric Wollencott BarnesEric Wollencott BarnesEric Wollencott Barnes was an American educator, diplomat, actor, and author.-Education:...
- Henry BirchenoughHenry BirchenoughSir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet, GCMG was an English businessman and public servant.-Early life and education:...
- Frank Johnson GoodnowFrank Johnson GoodnowFrank Johnson Goodnow, Ph.D., LL.B. was an American educator and legal scholar, born in Brooklyn, New York.-Personal life:...
- Ma JianzhongMa JianzhongMa Jianzhong was a Chinese official and scholar during the Qing dynasty.Ma was born in Dantu , Jiangsu province to a prominent Chinese Catholic family. After studies at a French Catholic school in Shanghai, Ma went to France in 1876 to study international law...
- Grayson L. KirkGrayson L. KirkGrayson Louis Kirk was president of Columbia University during the Columbia University protests of 1968. He was also a Professor of Government, advisor to the State Department, and instrumental in the formation of the United Nations.-Early life:Kirk was born to a farmer and schoolteacher in...
- Samuel Eliot MorisonSamuel Eliot MorisonSamuel Eliot Morison, Rear Admiral, United States Naval Reserve was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history that were both authoritative and highly readable. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and taught history at the university for 40 years...
- Pierre Drieu La RochellePierre Drieu La RochellePierre Eugène Drieu La Rochelle was a French writer of novels, short stories and political essays, who lived and died in Paris...
- Arne SundeArne SundeArne Toralf Sunde was a Norwegian politician, Olympic shooter and army officer. He is best known for his participation in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign, his participation in Nygaardsvold's Cabinet during its 1940–1945 exile in London and three years as an United Nations ambassador...
- António NobreAntónio NobreAntónio Pereira Nobre was a Portuguese poet. He died of tuberculosis in Foz do Douro, Porto, in 1900, after trying to recover in a number of places. His masterpiece Só , was the only book he published.-Northern Portugal:Nobre was a member of a wealthy family...
- Pierre TrudeauPierre TrudeauJoseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...