A social history of Germany

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When it first appeared in 1977, this work was one of the few English studies covering Germany's history from the religious wars to the fall of the Second Empire. It uniquely integrated autobiographical records to assess modern German social historians' contributions. Eda Sagarra employed imaginative literature to reveal contemporaries' perceptions of social history, merging individual experiences with broader historical processes, appealing to both literature and society scholars. The book is structured into two main chronological sections: the first spans from the end of the Thirty Years War to the Holy Roman Empire's destruction by Napoleon in 1806. Each section includes chapters that examine social groups and classes in authority—such as princes, churches, nobility, military, and bureaucracy—alongside those under their control, including a diverse middle class, peasants, and the rural and urban proletariat during the agrarian and industrial revolutions. Life on the margins is also explored, with a provocative analysis of women's conditions in the concluding chapter. The work defines "Germany" broadly, encompassing all German-speaking regions, and highlights the rich regional variations in social class, religious beliefs, habits, and values. It also pioneers discussions on often-overlooked topics, such as the role of churches, in general histories of the time.