Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Elites
(1,410 words)

1. Concept and definition

The use of the term “elite” was long controversial in German historical studies, and even today it is not free from political implications. During the 1970s and 1980s in particular, it had a negative connotation, and there were only a very few studies examining political, social, and economic elites. The concept of elite only began to undergo rehabilitation from the mid-1980s in studies on the modern bourgeoisie and la…

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Keller, Katrin, “Elites”, 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 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_018697>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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