The beginnings of language teaching at the Military Academy in Belgrade

Abstract

The subject of this research is the beginnings of language teaching at the Military Academy (Artillery School) in Belgrade, in the period from its establishment in 1850 to a few years after the end of World War I, i.e. until 1924, when reliable data and archival material date back, based mainly on the Memorial of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Military Academy. The importance of foreign language knowledge was manifold. In addition to a significant role in teaching professional subjects, given that the teaching process was, to a great extent, carried out according to translation of foreign textbooks, foreign languages also played a significant role in the development of the Serbian military doctrine, as well as the fact that there was a great influence of neighboring countries in the educational field of the military training. Also, cadets who were sent for education abroad were obliged to know the language of the country they were sent to. For enrollment, first in the Artillery School, and then in the Lower and Higher School of the Military Academy, the knowledge of French or German was mandatory. French was the first to be introduced into the curriculum, followed by German, while Russian, Italian and Turkish were introduced later. Throughout certain periods, Serbian was also taught as a subject. Due to insufficient data, as well as a lack of archival materials, the period after World War I has not been sufficiently studied in the military education historiography, which is why this paper is limited to the period from the establishment of the Military Academy to a few years after the end of World War I and the formation of a new state, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.