„Um das Abenteuer Demokratie zu bestehen“

Institutionalised civic education emerged in the south-western German states as early as the first post-war year — long before it became established as an academic discipline. This study examines the history of extracurricular civic education from these early initiatives through to the 1970s, looking at institutions, actors and educational practice in the field. Its focus is on the various forerunner institutions of the Baden-Württemberg state agency for civic education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung). The contemporary perception of the threat to democracy always played an essential role in the question of the relevance of civic education — expressed in the phrase “Abenteuer Demokratie” (the adventure of democracy).

Published in the series Schriften des Bundesarchivs, Sonderreihe “Die zentralen deutschen Behörden und der Nationalsozialismus”, vol. 6.