ABSTRACT
The current status of Hungary is strongly characterized by the past. On the one hand, the political transformation has eventuated significant changes in the last 25 years. On the other hand, the communist era did not disappear without trace. The democratization process resulted more opportunities and political pluralism. At the same time, the transition eventuated problems too: the Hungarian society has been aging rapidly, the social inequalities are increasing and Hungarian citizens are among the most passive ones in Europe. This latter symptom is definitely the legacy of the communist era.
The democratic transition has led to school reform, but without a societal consensus. Citizenship education remained an educational goal just like before. But it was stigmatized because of the memories of ideological driven socialist school system. In this difficult situation, citizenship education cannot affect students’ civic competence significantly; rather, the informal agents shape students civic identity.
The study to be reported here will summarize the current circumstances of young Hungarians and the transition and status of citizenship education. The chapter will highlight the difficulties of citizenship education. The reported results will point out the effectiveness of this curricular domain and portray Hungarian adolescents’ performance.
