The soul of commerce : : credit, property, and politics in Leipzig, 1750-1840 / / by Robert Beachy.

• Superior document: Studies in Central European histories ; 34
• VerfasserIn: Beachy, Robert,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, The Netherlands ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2005]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Language: English
• Series: Studies in Central European histories ; 34.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

This volume provides a new interpretation of the social and cultural context that shaped German political reforms from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. Focusing on Electoral Saxony, the analysis demonstrates how the commercial city of Leipzig shaped the Saxon Enlightenment and then had a powerful influence on reforming the territorial state. The study presents extensive archival research to develop a careful account of Leipzig's social and political history and then argues persuasively that the city played a catalytic role in the introduction of a Saxon constitutional monarchy after 1830. The volume emphasizes the role of pre-modern urban political and legal norms in shaping the first liberal reforms in nineteenth-century Germany.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations, Tables, and Figures -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- 1. Private Property and Burgher Reform in Central Europe -- 2. The Entrepôt and the Electorate: Leipzig and Saxony in 1750 -- 3. The Seven Years' War: Prussian Occupation and the Saxon Rétablissement -- 4. Urban Enlightenment and the Culture of Critique -- 5. The French Occupation of Saxony: War Tribute and Public Debt -- 6. The Council in Crisis, 1814-1830 -- 7. Revolt and Reform: The Political Transformation of Saxony -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.