Ever since the late 18th century, European society has been undergoing a transformation in which the most dynamic element has been the middle class. This provocative book contains the first comprehensive study of 18th and early 19th century bourgeois society by American, European and Israeli scholars in history, anthropology, literature, sociology and law. They examine the specific characteristics of the middle class social types, the extent to which their values and interests altered the texture of 19th century European society and national differences that emerged in their development.