The Society for Social and Economic History (1961 to the present)

After the Second World War, it was evident that German social and economic history had lost its former leading position to scholars in Britain, France and the United States. At the 11th International Congress of Historical Sciences in Stockholm in 1960, Wilhelm Abel (1904–1985), Friedrich Lütge (1901–1968), Hermann Kellenbenz (1913–1990), Erich Maschke (1900–1982) and Herbert Hassinger (1910–1992) therefore decided to establish an organisation that would promote international cooperation and represent the field in public life and in dialogue with education-policy decision-makers.

The Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte (GSWG), founded in Frankfurt am Main on 18 February 1961, became an internationally oriented association and continues to serve as a voice and representative body for social and economic historians. Its statutes define its purpose as promoting the scholarly study of social and economic history and representing the interests of the field in public and before education-policy decision-makers.

To reflect its international outlook and avoid excluding colleagues from Austria and Switzerland, the founders deliberately chose not to include the word “German” in the organisation’s name. Placing “social history” first explicitly continued the tradition of the discipline in Germany since the nineteenth century, a decision influenced in particular by Friedrich Lütge.

Lütge, who had taken the lead in preparing the foundation, was elected Chair, with Hermann Kellenbenz as Deputy Chair. The first Executive Board also included Wolfgang Zorn (1922–2004) as Secretary, Hans Mauersberg (1910–1989) as Treasurer and Herbert Hassinger as a board member. The election was chaired by Hermann Aubin (1885–1969).

Since its foundation, the GSWG has maintained links with other associations, including the German Historical Association and the Economic History Committee of the Verein für Socialpolitik. These links connect the GSWG both with colleagues abroad and with neighbouring disciplines, including agricultural and technology history.

The Society’s membership lists have included leading economic and social historians. The GSWG had 56 members in 1961, 170 ten years later and 211 in 1981. On 1 May 2015 it had 192 members. Admission is decided by the Executive Board; particularly in the early years, acceptance was not automatic because the founders had originally envisaged a small working group of scholars conducting research in economic history.

The GSWG initially held working conferences every three years and has organised them biennially since the 1970s. The first conference took place in 1963. Its aim of learning from one another through papers, questions and discussion remains valid today. Conference topics now range across all periods, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, and are often examined diachronically. Contributions are published in conference volumes to reach a wider scholarly audience and identify areas requiring further research.

Further reading

• Hermann Kellenbenz: “Zwanzig Jahre Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte”, in: Wirtschaftsentwicklung und Umweltbeeinflussung (14.–20. Jahrhundert), Wiesbaden 1982, pp. 3–25.
• Jörg Rode: Die Gesellschaft für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte (1961–1998), Stuttgart 1998.