ABSTRACT
Political independence is the ultimate goal of every national movement. Yet after independence is won, intellectuals often feel a sense of disillusionment with the reality of the new state. Political brotherhood, which characterized the national movement as long as it fought against a common oppressor, may be lost. In the new state, the intellectuals' former leadership role is lost and they feel politically impotent. The Teachers' Federation had a large degree of control over the educational process and the curriculum. As proven by the tormented youth in the Western world, the abandonment of values led to disorientation. Israel's intelligentsia realized that the establishment of the state opened up opportunities to professionals, scientists, and scholars composing the new class. Israeli scholars had always been fascinated by Mapai's enormous power, which was unmatched by other political parties in the democratic world. Politically, Ben-Gurion's successor, Levi Eshkol, was a pragmatic politician who cared more for the state budget than for messianic schemes.
