Again, the function of these autonomous educational facilities in furthering a radical consciousness and culture during the early phases of the workers' movement is striking. In the associations, workers could use libraries, attend classes, and hear lectures on subjects of interest to them. Popular topics included not only work-related subjects like machine technology and technical developments pertinent to the various trades, but also aspects of the natural sciences and themes directly pertinent to the evolution of social relations, especially historical subjects. For example, the members of the Leipziger Arbeiterverein organized lectures during 1875 on the uprising of enslaved workers during antiquity and on the French Revolution, as well as discussions of political economy and literature.

On the other hand, the bourgeois-influenced Vereine generally espoused a different view. Subscribing to a self-help philosophy, they emphasized the role which these kinds of associations could play in improving the lives and prospects of individual workers. The bourgeois associations maintained their focus on education, avoiding political entanglement, and formed one branch of the program of the liberal sectors within the German Bürgertum to enlighten workers and improve their condition.

— Schooling in Western Europe by Mary Jo Maynes (Page 110)