The French Classes Nouvelles (1945-1952): Why is it so Difficult to Change Traditional Pedagogy?

At the first levels of French secondary education (pupils 11 to 15 years of age), the classes nouvelles between 1945 and 1952 involved an important experiment in secondary school pedagogy renewal. This attempt was part of a threefold movement towards the democratization of education that spanned the early twentieth century: the will to open second degree education to more pupils and, consequently, to transform traditional pedagogical practices and implement a school guidance system. After having set the origin of this experiment in the democratic Reform project carried out by the Front Populaire government before the Second World War, this article aims to describe the particular circumstances that preceded the decision to implant these classes nouvelles  in 200 schools across France at the start of the 1945 school year; the paper focuses in particular on the pedagogical principles implemented and some significant local experiences. It explores the reactions of several players in this pedagogical renewal, and the reasons why this episode ended without immediate strong repercussions on the French educational system.