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Education

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War lessons 'could spark soccer violence'

28/ 3/2006

HISTORY lessons in schools could lead to more football-related violence at this summer's World Cup, researchers in Lancashire said today.

A report claimed hooligans were influenced by lessons about the First and Second World Wars.

Dr Keith Crawford from Edge Hill higher education college in Ormskirk said the curriculum about Germany was "totally negative". He said: "For many pupils, history ends in 1945 and few seem to study the development of post-war Germany and the development of the European Community in any real depth.

"What our research is showing is that pupil understanding of Germans and Germany is totally negative from quite a young age, despite the fact that few pupils have visited Germany or met a German.

Stereotyping

"The only Germans they have ever heard of are individuals such as Adolf Hitler, other members of the Nazi Party and the occasional footballer.

"The result is a high degree of modern day negative stereotyping that is very difficult to challenge where images of contemporary Germany are dominated by views of a Germany which are 60 years old."

Dr Crawford said football had replaced war as a cause of friction between the two countries.

He said fans who chant themes from popular WW2 films such as The Great Escape and The Dambusters contributed to the problem. He said newspapers stereotyped Germans by using words like "Fritz" and "Huns" to describe them.

DOES Germany get a raw deal in our history lessons? Have your say.