John Dewey’s Democracy and Education was published in 1916. The historic context of the text is relevant to the trajectory of the book for a number of reasons, including the general framework of capitalism and the Second Industrial Revolution, the challenges to democracy in the United States, and the connections between scientific advancements and education reform.

The Second Industrial Revolution took place between the latter part of the 19th century and the start of World War I. It continued the mechanization and specialization of manufacturing on a mass scale of its earlier counterpart, the First Industrial Revolution. Indeed, Dewey published this book during the war, although the United States did not officially enter until 1917. The advanced combat technologies—such as U-boats, machine guns, and chemical weapons—used in World War I were the direct result of the technological development of the Second Industrial Revolution. On the positive side, the Industrial Revolution brought with it urbanization, public transportation, sanitation, and city planning, which Dewey mentions in the text. In his view, these tangible results of scientific advancement serve as practical links between education, the physical world, and society.

At the same time, the Second Industrial Revolution entrenched unequal social relations.