The Teaching of History as a Means of a Better Understanding of Democracy

 

Bálint RADÓ

 

University of Pécs, Department of Medieval and Early Modern History, Hungary

 

Abstract:

 

After the political change of 1989/90 the countries of the Soviet bloc found themselves in  an entirely new situation which would have presupposed a comprehension of democratic values. As evidence shows, however, the transition from dictatorship to democracy has not been an easy road. No wonder, the people had not been trained to grasp the meaning and the advantages of a democratic political system. Almost two decades have passed since the change and there is still a great deal of confusion about the basic elements of democratic institutions. Throughout history, a number of political regimes conceived of the people as mere subjects. The creating of a society composed of self-conscious and self-confident citizens instead of a mass of people to be governed is a difficult task that involves the ability to estimate the values of democracy. The status of the ¨citoyen¨ simply cannot be a gift from above. History is an indispensable tool in throwing light on how a democratic political system works. The method must inevitably be based on comparison. Once people are instructed about the fundamental differences of slave- holding, feudal, absolutist, autoctratic, dictatorial as well as democratic social systems they will certainly be given invaluable assistance. My 10 – minute presentation intends to be a contribution based on experience in teaching history to university and grammar- school students alike.

 

Key words: citizen vs. subject, democracy, dictatorship, civic society, vassalage, autocracy vs. absolutism, constitutionalism, the teaching of history

 

 

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