From 1896 to 1957, the Lyon City council leads an ambitious innovative policy in the field of “éducation populaire” (public education, education for all).The political will to opt for an education policy can be accounted for by the particular context during the first half of the 20th century.This city is flourishing and its population is increasing constantly particularly its working class and the number of pupils.At the time, Édouard Herriot is Lyon's mayor. In Lyon he begins being involved in politics in the context of the Dreyfus affair.Lyon is to be a springboard for his political career. By becoming mayor of Lyon at the age of 33, Herriot can enforce his school and educative policy in accordance with the principles of democratization of schooling and education he advocates, a policy which makes schooling more easily accessible to all that he shares with the “Compagnons de l'Université Nouvelle” intertwined networks of activists. Those networks prove to be particularly fertile and active during the period. Analyzing them shows how numerous they are and sheds light on their actions through the profusion of non-profit organizations and their many publication.However, while the analysis of the different historic sources available allow to Lyon's thriving community life related to “éducation populaire”, the same sources do not mention how different organizations work.Analyzing the practices and project of the different “éducation populaire”movements and organizations show how the aims evolved during that period. Initially the goal is based on a program of hygiene physical education awareness. It is meant to fight social plagues such as tuberculoses and alcoholism. Gradually political goals emerge. The different activists have to establish a program of education in the true sense of the word of civic education, addressed to the children from Lyon working-class families. The aim is obviously to fight against the influence of opposite to the French Third Republic. In these activist circles above all clerical ones, regime evolves in these activist circle, makes the perceptions and political fears of parts of the population stand out this analysis also allows to put forward how deeply involved in politics these “éducation populaire” activists are in the second half of the 20th century. The fear of fascism then becomes a deep motivation for education.This research thus seeks to make the way these organizations and “éducation populaire” work re-emerge while attempting to be as close as possible to the viewpoint of regular activists.This bygone world of several of them whose biography could be traced.