The Middle Classes in Europe

Abstract

The attractiveness of a concept rarely correlates with its precision. "Middle class" would seem to be a case in point. The concept has played a central role in-and has been shaped by-political discourses ever since the late eighteenth century. It has been a pivotal concept in many historical interpretations of the modern period. In recent years the history of the middle class has become a prominent topic again, particularly in Central Europe.' However, "generations of unsuspecting undergraduates have found the phrase 'middle class' a morass, a minefield, even a veritable Pandora's box. It is certainly a chameleon among definitions."2 The English "middle class" is not identical with its French, German, or Italian equivalents, bourgeoisie, Biirgertum, and borghesia. Mieszczan'stwo (Polish) and mescane (Russian) are even further away. In some languages (e.g., in German) the concept carries very different layers of meaning, reaching from "burgher" (in the sense of a legally privileged inhabitant of medieval and early modem towns) through "middle class" or "bourgeois" to "citizen." The meanings have changed over time. Descriptive, analytical, and normative functions of the concept overlap; again and again it has served not only as a "neutral" category used by observers and historians but also as a polemical or affirmative code word in public debates, social criticisms, and utopian visions.