| 21. |
On Controlling the Workforce (1915)
Controlling labor in large factories was of utmost importance to industrialists and their managers. Their ability to regulate workers’ hours and monitor their productivity increased with the appearance....
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| 22. |
Working-Class Life (1891)
This report by Paul Göhre (1864-1928) underscores the dependence of many industrial workers on their daily wage. It also describes the nature of industrial working conditions, as well as the exploitative....
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| 23. |
Census Figures (1882-1907)
One of the most striking developments in Wilhelmine Germany was the growing importance of the industrial workplace. These census figures show a decline in the number of independent producers and....
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| 24. |
Household Income and Expenses (1909)
The statistics presented here show differences in income and consumer behavior among the households of workers, white-collar workers (including teachers), and civil servants. Notice the vast disparity....
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| 25. |
Social Background of German Elites and Members of the Clergy (1800-1919)
Social mobility was an essential component of German economic development. While some successful businessmen came from the middle or lower strata of German society, the great majority came from the....
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| 26. |
Stairways for the "Entitled" [Herrschaften] and the "Un-entitled" [Nichtherrschaften]* (1903)
The following passage suggests the absurd lengths to which the spatial separation of the upper and lower classes was taken in Wilhelmine Germany. The author, a member of the “entitled” class, lambastes....
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| 27. |
Eugen Richter on the German Nobility (1898)
Eugen Richter (1838-1906), a liberal intellectual, writer, and politician, criticizes the advantages of noble titles in German society. He explores the origins of noblemen and questions their contributions....
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| 28. |
The "Feudalization of the Bourgeoisie?" Part I: Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad (1880)
Mark Twain’s (1835-1910) description of a student duel offers evidence of what historians have often referred to as the “Feudalization of the Bourgeoisie.” This thesis claims that the upwardly mobile....
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| 29. |
The "Feudalization of the Bourgeoisie?" Part II: Heinrich Mann, The Loyal Subject [Der Untertan] (1918)
Set in Wilhelmine Germany, Heinrich Mann’s (1871-1950) novel The Loyal Subject follows the life of Diederich Hessling,....
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| 30. |
Consumerism: Berlin Department Stores (1908)
Leo Colze’s writing on department stores in Berlin captures the transformation of Germany at the turn of the century. Stylized as “uncrowned emperors” of Berlin, Colze sees stores such as Wertheim,....
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