Example: With the combination of historical education and citizenship education in the framework of the school subject “History, Social Studies and Citizenship Education”, the conception of historical learning at Austrian secondary schools puts strong emphasis on the relationship between past and present, and thus strengthens the analytic dimension of historical thinking. It offers the possibility of emphasizing historical developments from the past to present situations (diachronic perspective), to accent the analysis of the relationship between past and present and hence—without neglecting the importance of key concepts such as “evidence”, “perspective” or “empathy”—to place special emphasis on “cause and consequence” and on “continuity and change”.

Sample Syllabus 2016: General aims of School Subject “History, Social Studies and Citizenship Education, Lower Secondary Education, Austria”.

“Education in subject ‘History, Social Studies and Citizenship education’ aims at developing understanding for the past, analysis for present situations and at developing perspectives for living together in the future society. […] The understanding of historical and political developments, situations and actions aims at contributing to strengthening social and political participation and at assuring and further developing a democratic and gender-balanced society […] The following didactic concepts should be emphasized: …causality, historical thinking between continuity and change, process-orientation … relationship of analysis to present and future expectations of pupils; relationship to the living environment of pupils; emphasis on diversity and multiperspectivity […]” ( BMBF, 2016 )