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‪Taking the reform of secondary education undertaken by the Belgian government in the 1880s as an example, this article aims to show how modern school systems in Western Europe have been based on comparison between models in a context of the international dissemination of information and knowledge. The article is divided into three parts. The first analyses the origin of the “humanities debate” by placing it in its European context, reiterating the reasons that led different European countries to look elsewhere for models. In particular, through the study of a few specific examples, it shows why several countries took an interest in the Belgian reform of 1881 and identifies the reasons for this. Based on an analysis of debate on the subject of the humanities in Belgium, the second and third sections examine the way in which Belgian reformers turned to foreign school models, particularly the German model. They identify the means and channels through which information was disseminated, examine the arguments put forward in favour of this educational model and show the limitations which had to be overcome in transferring it to Belgium.‪