Chapter 3: The Beutelsbach Consensus

In 2016 there was an important anniversary that occurred: The Beutelsbach consensus had its 40th birthday. This consensus is of vital significance for the German dispute and discussion on teaching civics. Therefore we want to comment on how it was generated and how big its importance still is.

For a number of decades after its inception, the school subject of civics was shaped by disputes over its goals (for a survey of the German context, see Gagel 1994). For a long time, teachers were watched suspiciously for fear they would impose their own political opinions on students. When teachers were accused of manipulating students, the charge was that they—without full disclosure and against the interests of learners—were imperceptibly but potently disseminating one-sided information, judgments, and choices in their classrooms. It took quite some time for the subject to be treated like any other subject—until, for instance, parents demanded a no more elaborate decision-making and approval process for new civics school books than they did for math books.