The Federal Agency for Civic Education (FACE, (''bpb'')) is a German federal

government agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

responsible for promoting

civic education In the field of political science, civics is the study of the civil and political rights and obligations of citizens in a society. The term ''civics'' derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". In U.S. politics, ...

. It is subordinated to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Thomas Krüger has served as president of the agency since 2000. The modern agency was established in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

in 1952 by the Adenauer government to counteract

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, but it has its roots in earlier government agencies dating back to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Objective

In 1997 the objectives for bpb were specified, and these were officially defined in 2001. Its task is now to promote understanding of political issues, strengthen awareness for democracy and willingness to participate in political processes amongst the citizen. Furthermore, a committee of 22 members of the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness and political neutrality of the bpb. Bpb publishes (a magazine published quarterly) and (APuZ), a weekly topical journal of essays and academic articles. German, Arabic, Turkish and Russian versions of the

Grundgesetz The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany () is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came into effect on 23 May after having been approved by the oc ...

can be ordered for free by anyone living in Germany. Furthermore, it offers extensive material, e.g. books, journals and information material for schools on contemporary topics in politics, history, sociology and economy. A number of congresses, symposia and excursions are organised by bpb either directly for citizens or for experts on selected topics. Furthermore, bpb co-operates with a number of political foundations, associations and organisations committed to civic education.

History

The Agency has its background in the

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

war of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In October 1914 the ''Zentrale für Auslandsdienst'' (Agency for Foreign Service) was established for the purpose of propaganda conducted outside Germany. In 1918 it was complemented by the ''Zentralstelle für Heimatdienst'' (Agency for Homeland Service) which was formed for the purpose of domestic propaganda; in order to strengthen the public resilience during the war. In the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

it was renamed as the '' Reichszentrale für Heimatsdienst'' (Reich Agency for Homeland Service). ''Heimatdienst'', which literally means homeland service, may also be translated as "domestic propaganda" or "political explanation/education in the homeland". Following the Nazi ascent to power in Germany the agency was dissolved on 16 March 1933. The facilities and staff of the agency were incorporated into the new ''

Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (, RMVP), also known simply as the Ministry of Propaganda (), controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany. The ministr ...

'' headed by

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...

and responsible for enforcing Nazi doctrine on the people and controlling public opinion. The Agency was re-established on November 25, 1952 as the ''Bundeszentrale für Heimatdienst'' (Federal Agency for Homeland Service), and in 1963 it was renamed as the (Federal Agency for Civic Education). It can also be translated as "Federal Agency for Political Education", as in the German language "civic education" normally translates as "Bürgerschaftliche Erziehung", of which "Politische Bildung" represents just a sub-category. The initial primary focus of the activities of the re-established agency during the 1950s was to counteract

Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

in West Germany.

Voting advice

The agency runs a

voting advice application A voting advice application or voting aid application (VAA), also known as a vote matcher, vote compass or election compass is an application that helps voters find a political candidate or political party that stands closest to their preferences. ...

website , which compares the user's political position with the platforms of the parties and shows all parties ranked for closeness to the user's position.

State agencies

In addition to the federal agency, 15 of Germany's 16

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

each have their own state agency for civic education. These agencies are independent from the federal agency, and subordinated to the state governments, usually to the state ministry of the interior. The agencies are: *State Agency for Civic Education of Baden-Württemberg *Bavarian State Agency for Civic Education *State Agency for Civic Education of Berlin *State Agency for Civic Education of Brandenburg *State Agency for Civic Education of Bremen *State Agency for Civic Education of Hamburg *Hessian State Agency for Civic Education *State Agency for Civic Education of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern *State Agency for Civic Education of North Rhine-Westphalia *State Agency for Civic Education of Rhineland-Palatinate *State Agency for Civic Education of Saarland *Saxon State Agency for Civic Education *State Agency for Civic Education of Saxony-Anhalt *State Agency for Civic Education of Schleswig-Holstein *State Agency for Civic Education of Thuringia

References

External links