For our democracy – democracy education throughout all levels of education

Strong democracy – strong economy – strong country

August 22, 2025

Why this Paper?

The liberal democracy based on the rule of law is of inestimable value to Germany. The democratic constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany was expressly founded as a countermodel to the inhuman dictatorship of National Socialism. It also saw itself as a counter-model to communist “people's democracies.” Closely linked to the free democratic constitution is the social market economy.

The idea of human dignity, fundamental rights, and freedom for all has its firm place only in liberal democracy. Only it enables equal political participation, freedom of expression and assembly, pluralism, and tolerance. Only it is characterized by the separation of powers and guarantees freedom of the press. Only it strives for opportunities and justice for all, sustainability, and peace. However, it must also be supported, filled with life, and defended by all of us. In everyday life, democracy quickly becomes something we take for granted. Much is taken for granted.

Today, our free democratic order faces major challenges. It is threatened from within and without. Anti-democratic forces and parties, extremist groups, and autocratic systems are fighting this order and its values. Liberal democracy must prove itself again and again—in global competition.

Policymakers bear a special responsibility. Within the framework of representative democracy, they must demonstrate that democracy works as a form of government. Policymakers must represent society, address and solve people's problems, and guarantee freedom, security, and the rule of law.

Liberal democracy necessarily involves debate about the right solution, conflict, and ultimately compromise. A culture of debate and the ability to compromise are social skills that young people should acquire early and systematically—as should the ability to cooperate and offer criticism. Added to this is knowledge of democratic processes, which must not be neglected in school education. Young people should experience democracy early on and continuously, and in doing so, learn to act as active participants. Learning processes are most effective when they are linked to the realities of children's and young people's lives.

Social media has recently expanded the space for discourse, but at the same time it has also narrowed it and created social echo chambers and information bubbles. These restrict the exchange of opinions and arguments. Disinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories on the internet are putting our open democracy under enormous pressure. Learning to deal with these new challenges is a task for the education system along the entire educational chain.

Employers in Germany stand by our democracy and its values: like everyone else, they are protected by the free democratic constitutional state. Only in a stable, free and democratic environment can companies plan for the long term, invest, create jobs and operate independently. Only in an environment that allows for different perspectives can innovation flourish. This is what our economy thrives on, strengthening the prosperity and well-being of everyone in our country. Social partnership is based on the willingness to work together and cooperate. This includes conflict and compromise. Different interests seek dialogue in order to achieve a common goal. This social partnership dialogue can serve as a model for the culture of debate in our democracy.

Key Considerations

Our education system must focus more on democracy education and develop it further. This is not about telling people who to vote for or how to express themselves. On the contrary: freedom of expression remains a precious commodity that must be protected. Rather, it is about experiencing and learning general skills such as cooperation and critical thinking, but also about participating in democratic processes: the educational goal is to develop democratic skills. People should be empowered to become more conscious participants in democracy. The functioning and meaningful use of social media must also increasingly be addressed.

Democracy education begins in kindergarten and is a key focus in general education schools. It continues in initial vocational education and training (VET), continuing VET (CVET), and university studies. Employers contribute to democracy education as part of IVET and CVET. Companies also need to have a corporate culture that supports our free and democratic constitutional order.