This article concentrates on two pieces of legislation promulgated in the early 1960s in order to investigate the broader ideas and concerns surrounding political education in the postwar Federal Republic of Germany. These pieces of educational policy highlight the consensus for continued reform while recognizing the value of curricular and pedagogical innovations introduced after 1945. These documents signal the beginning of a "second wave" of reform that would result in more visible, dramatic changes in the curricula and pedagogy of the postwar schools. More importantly, they reflect a renewed commitment at the highest levels to political education that built upon previous initiatives--the "first wave" of reform--and promoted further innovation. (Contains 42 footnotes.)