The story
The Agency has its background in the propaganda war of World War I. In October 1914 the Zentrale für Auslandsdienst (Agency for Foreign Service) was established for the purpose of propaganda conducted outside Germany. In 1918 it was complemented by the Zentralstelle für Heimatdienst (Agency for Homeland Service) which was formed for the purpose of domestic propaganda; in order to strengthen the public resilience during the war.
In the Weimar Republic it was renamed as the Reichszentrale für Heimatsdienst (Reich Agency for Homeland Service).
Heimatdienst, which literally means homeland service, may also be translated as "domestic propaganda" or "political explanation/education in the homeland".
Following the Nazi ascent to power in Germany the agency was dissolved on 16 March 1933. The facilities and staff of the agency were incorporated into the new Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels and responsible for enforcing Nazi doctrine on the people and controlling public opinion.
The Agency was re-established on November 25, 1952 as the Bundeszentrale für Heimatdienst (Federal Agency for Homeland Service), and in 1963 it was renamed as the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education). It can also be translated as "Federal Agency for Political Education", as in the German language "civic education" normally translates as "Bürgerschaftliche Erziehung", of which "Politische Bildung" represents just a sub-category.
The initial primary focus of the activities of the re-established agency during the 1950s was to counteract Communism in West Germany.
From Wikipedia’s article on Federal Agency for Civic Education, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4