European Societies of Work in Transformation:
Comparative and Transnational Perspectives on Great Britain, Sweden and West Germany during the Seventies
University College London (Bernhard Rieger); German Historical Institute London (Andreas Gestrich, Kerstin Brückweh), London
26.11.2009-28.11.2009, German Historical Institute London
During the Seventies, many European countries experienced profound structural transformations that affected their character as industrial societies. In particular, the fundamental changes that reshaped the world of work galvanized public attention as much as they puzzled policy makers and social scientists. Moreover, countless people directly affected by the downturn made their grievances known in public. Focusing on Great Britain, Sweden and West Germany, this conference compares how three European industrial societies struggled to deal with challenges of economic change in a broad range of economic, social, and cultural settings. While the Seventies signalled the end of West Germany's much-vaunted "economic miracle," Britain experienced the difficulties in front of a backdrop of several decades of patchy economic performance.
In Sweden, meanwhile, the Seventies brought new challenges after a sustained era of growth but mass unemployment did not manifest itself until the Eighties. Our conference explores to what extent these different economic trajectories shaped public debates and private reactions as well as expectations in each country. We hope to open up this new field for comparative and transnational historical research.