Anxieties of the Middle Class

In January 2006, the Herbert Quandt Foundation started a new project on the future of the middle class in Germany and beyond. Part of their Politics & Society program, the project reflects the perception that there is a looming tectonic shift in the composition of German society that is of increasing public concern. The widespread perception of a decline of the “middle class” and the end of German “middle class society” is connected with the perceived threat of a more polarized society in terms of both economic resources as well as cultural and social norms. However, the vices and virtues of different future developments are as uncertain as the degree of social change that Germany faces.

At this event, Professor Paul Nolte (Free University of Berlin), one of the most widely recognized German intellectuals of his generation and a member of the advisory board for the middle class project, discussed first results of the project with Michael Lind, Whitehead Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. The two compared the developments in Germany with current trends in American society. Also covered were the project’s reflection on current policy issues; identified risks, needed skills; and advice for policy-makers.

Participants

• Paul Nolte
  Professor
  Free University of Berlin
• Michael Lind
  Whitehead Senior Fellow
  New America Foundation