Teacher education and the development of democratic citizenship in Europe

European democratic ideals are seen as being under attack from the growth of populism. The Social Democrats demanded a particular democratic culture in schools, which raised tensions between them and the central and conservative parties, who were apprehensive of left wing revolutionary objectives. The role of the Catholic religion in the foundation of the state, and its influence on education policy, on teacher training and on schools, is discussed in detail, as is its influence and impact on political beliefs and perspectives on democratic citizenship. Developing capacities of teachers for teaching democratic citizenship has been one of the core aims of teacher education reform efforts in the last two decades in Kosovo. The citizenship syllabus within the Irish national curriculum is explored, at primary level within the subject ‘social, personal and health education’ and at secondary level within the subject ‘civic, social and political education’. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.