About us: What is constitutional, social and economic history?
Constitutional, social and economic history (VSWG) deals with the material level of the past, in particular with the actions of individuals and organisations that serve to meet the human need for scarce goods in a planned manner, as well as the social, cultural and state structures and institutions that enable and influence individual and collective action, while at the same time being influenced by it. Furthermore, the VSWG examines the changes in society as a whole, in its strata and groups, in social and individual situations, and deals with the conflicts between the various social groups.
VSWG sees itself as a bridging subject between the historical and social sciences and takes up theoretical concepts as well as methodological procedures from sociology, law, political science and economics, but without lapsing into a trivial anthropology of economic man. Rather, this recourse allows the structuring of questions as well as the classification of facts and thus facilitates historical analysis.
Basic knowledge of economics and social sciences is advantageous for the course, but not a prerequisite. The lectures and exercises also introduce methodological and theoretical knowledge and combine this with historical, source-based problem analysis. For students interested in social and economic history issues, specially tailored courses are offered in the Key Qualifications module in addition to the courses in the VSWG profile area.
Key topics
The temporal focus in Bonn ranges from the late 18th to the 20th century - the period in which the modern industrial and service society emerged and took off tremendously. Important sub-areas include:
- The rise of modern financial capitalism, with a focus on the history of banks and stock exchanges in Germany, Britain and the USA since the mid-19th century.
Corporate and entrepreneurial history since early industrialisation. - The emergence of the modern legal and administrative state in the early 19th century
- The study of technological change and innovation systems since the early 19th century.
- Social inequality since the early modern period.
- Infrastructure policy in the late 18th and first half of the 19th century.