Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Civil society
(2,226 words)

1. History and theory of the concept

1.1. Basics

The multitude of uses and different definitions of the term civil society since its renaissance and global spread beginning in the 1980s make it appear to be a “master key for wellnigh any desired concern” [6]. The term itself dates from Greco-Roman antiquity, but it was reintroduced into German political discourse (Zivilgesellschaft) almost as a neologism toward the end of the 20th century [4]. Apart from its emancipator…

Cite this page
Treiblmayr, Christopher, “Civil society”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 06 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_030807>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160907



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