The 20th century could be characterized as the "Age of Rights." Never before has there been such progress and interest in human rights standards. To ensure this progress, human rights education (HRE) needs to look at the world history of the struggles for rights and against tyranny and injustice. The notions of HRE originated in the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This paper chronicles the history and current state of human rights education. Details of human rights education in the context of the 1974 UNESCO Recommendation, the 1993 UNESCO Montreal Recommendation, the Vienna Declaration, and the Draft Plan of Action for the United Nations Decade for HRE: 1995-2005 are explored. The fundamentals of human rights education cannot be legislated in advance, but must emerge through regular and persistent review by human rights educators. The necessary critiques of human rights pronouncements and the tasks ahead in improving and spreading human rights education are investigated. (LAP)