Education, as the most important kind of social activity, changes the cultural image and consciousness of a person. This is the way the political function of education is realized. Education is designed to form a stable relationship of the individual with the society and is, therefore, the most important means of communication. In this article, the authors analyzethe political aspects of education in general and civil education, in particular. The authors focus their attention on the potential of civil education for the formation of self-consciousness of the 21st century in the modern Russia. The product of this self-consciousness is a new identity that is viewed as a result of the construction of social values and their interiorization in the individual consciousness. In the analysis of the political aspects of education in contemporary Russia, the following conclusions are drawn. The fundamental basis of civil education is statehood. Statehood is understood by the authors as a functional dependence of public consciousness on existing political institutions and norms, as well as the influence of the consciousness on institutional changes. The main targets of civil education are: loyalty, civic consciousness, patriotism. Loyalty involves the conscious recognition of the common rules by the individual. Civic consciousness is a specific way of communication between the individual and authorities, society and the state, in which all participants of the political process are institutionally equal. Patriotism implies meaningful behavior, which is based on the continuity of culture and the preservation of the historical tradition, personal responsibility for the fate of the fatherland. The article is intended to give a broad audience of foreign readers specific ideas about the problems of civil education in modern Russia, its tasks and prospects.