This paper aims to provide an explanation of the relation of historical education with the process of nation character building in Indonesia. This study uses literature review method. The results show that historical education has a very strategic role to shape the character and identity of the Indonesian nation. To be able to realize it, the curriculum must be considered in historical education, learning process, as well as historical learning materials. The history curriculum must be able to accommodate the interests of the nation character building process. Furthermore, the learning process of history must also be able to optimize the process of internalization and actualization of values in historical events. Finally, historical material must be able to collaborate on academic and pedagogical elements.

This paper aims to analyze how the role of historical education in the establishment of multicultural awareness of students. The research used literature study method. The sources collected were then analyzed. The results show that historical education as one of the important instruments in the nation character building, has a strategic role in shaping multicultural awareness of students. Multicultural awareness referred to in this research is the awareness and recognition about the existence of ethnic, cultural, and so on, so as to strengthen tolerance in the life of the nation and state. Student multicultural awareness is formed from the understanding of past events that have multicultural values. The events referred to existed during the period of the national movement, for in that period the Indonesian nation discovered the concept of national integration and recognition of diversity.