Cabinets de lecture
In the eighteenth century, literary societies (cabinets de lecture, Lesegesellschaften) occupied a central position in several crucial social developments. In countries where the traditional social ...
central Europe
Cannot be sharply delimited on a map. Although it is situated on the east-west axis of the continent—the adjective “central” here signifies an in-between (as in Central America) rather than ...
cities
A large, densely populated urban settlement, larger than a town, which can include two or more independent administrative districts within it and usually has suburbs.
civil service
Government posts were filled by patronage until well into the reign of Victoria. The Northcote–Trevelyan Report (1854) recommended changes, including entry to a civil service by competitive ...
Civil-Military Relations
Americans have traditionally been suspicious of military governance, a distrust that stems from their belief in individual liberty, representative government, and civilian control of the military. ...
club
The decades after the Restoration saw a proliferation of clubs and societies in London and the main provincial cities, many of them meeting in taverns or coffee‐houses. Though the most famous club, ...
Colombia
A country in the extreme north-west of the South American continent, the only South American country with coasts on both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, separated by the isthmus of Panama. To ...
Corporate and Estate Organization
Corporations and estates were as fundamental and important to European social and political life of the eighteenth century as currency to trade or as words to language. As part of ...
Germany
“Germany? But where is it?” asked Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich von Schiller in their often-quoted epigram of 1797, “I don't know how to find such a country.” The ...
Governor
Have undergone a transformation in Australia since 1788. Captain Arthur Phillip, first governor of NSW, was practically the absolute ruler of the penal settlement. His successors (also naval captains ...
pluralism
[Th]Diversity in interpretation. Because the world cannot be reduced to a series of simple conceptual categories there will always be a range of approaches, understandings, and interpretations. In ...
Political Participation
The concept of political participation includes a broad array of activities ranging from the simplest act of acquiescence to the legitimacy of authority or a legal stricture—paying taxes, for ...
progress
The idea of progress, conceived as the increasing sophistication of knowledge and the improving quality of life, has been the driving force of Western civilization for at least three hundred years. ...
sociability
Social activity and interaction existing for its own sake, called by the German sociologist Georg Simmel the ‘play-form’ of interaction that has no necessary outcome or results. Pure play-forms of ...
Solidarity
An independent union formed in Poland in 1980 under the leadership of Lech Walesa, Solidarity tapped into the public's disaffection with communist power. Following mass strikes, the communist regime ...
