Rethinking the Role of Artisans in Modern German Development

摘要

SINCE so much of what distinguishes Germany’s social-economic develop-rnment from that of other advanced capitalist societies derives from thernprominence of the handicrafts (Handwerk) and their institutional legacy,rnit is regrettable that artisan sightings have become so rare in recent central Euro-rnpean scholarship.rn1rnIt is especially so because disparaging postwar historiographicrnportrayals of “backward” late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century artisansrnleave us without a way to understand the emergence of a prosperous Mittelstandrnof small and medium-sized craft producers in the postwar years. Moreover,rninasmuch as the existence of a vibrant, legally distinct class of handicraft firmsrnconstitutes one of the most striking features of the modern German politicalrneconomy, we need an account of how it evolved and why.rn2rnFurthermore,rnwithout this, we have no way to explain several other distinctive “peculiarities”rnof German institutional arrangements: an educational system that directs arnmajority of young Germans to practically oriented, work-based apprenticeshipsrnsupplemented by part-time schooling instead of academically oriented, full-timernsecondary schools; a labor market that effectively professionalized all occupationsrnand limited the creation of mere “jobs”; and a training system that, as it diffusedrnfrom the craft to the industrial and service sectors, reinforced Germany’s historicrnmanufacturing preference for producing diversified, high-quality goods and services.rn3rnIn short, no history of modern German economic, social, or politicalrndevelopment can afford to dispense with artisans or their institutions.