ABSTRACT
It is a complacent, perhaps even a self-satisfied society that ignores the political education of its growing generation of young citizens. Those countries, like the USA, that strive for social cohesion; those, like the Federal German Republic, that need to construct a new political consciousness; and those, like the Soviet Union, that are built upon an ideology which must be sustained – all such recognize the weighty significance of political education. If one could locate countries along a spectrum of activity in civic education, Great Britain a mere decade ago would undoubtedly have been placed on the far edge of neglect. Today, although there is still an immense amount of work to be undertaken, the position has shifted quite markedly. This essay is an attempt to describe and explain this remarkable change.
