DEMOCRACY AS A CONSTITUENT ELEMENT OF EUROPE’S EDUCATIONAL HISTORY: HISTORICAL TRAJECTORY, THEORETICAL DIRECTIONS, AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES

The historical shaping of democratic education in Europe is not merely the outcome of political decisions or pedagogical doctrines; rather, it emerges as a complex and dynamic phenomenon unfolding within continuous social and political transformations. This study explores the trajectory of European education from the 18th century to the present-day proclamations advocating for democratic schools, focusing on the conceptual shifts in the notion of democracy itself and the ways in which it has been embedded as a core value within educational institutions. Education appears as a vital mechanism for social participation and the formation of citizenship, where theoretical approaches developed through historical inquiry are not presented as abstract models detached from their historical significance, but rather as enduring stakes and persistent forces shaping discourse around education interwoven with the dialectical evolution of social structures and democratic values. The analysis addresses the impact of World War II, the construction of the European Union, and the institutional efforts to enshrine democratic education, while also recording the contemporary contradictions of the educational system. The rise of technocratic models, the intensification of inequalities, the devaluation of the moral-political dimension of learning, and the school’s diminishing capacity to cultivate active citizenship reveal the shortcomings of a discourse that proclaims democracy but often undermines it in practice. The transition from the historical necessity of democratic education to the current societal challenges underscores the need for a critical redefinition of the relationship between education and democracy, aiming primarily at aligning education with the social and political developments of contemporary Europe.