Pawning in German working-class life before the First World War

This essay looks at the patterns of pawning in Germany in the decades prece ding the First World War. It tries to present pawning and thus also the eco nomy of nineteenth-century working-class households in a new light. Contrar y to the generally accepted view of social historians, it is unlikely that pawning served to secure the proletarian household in periods of real hards hip. There is much evidence that pawning was only considered when it seemed very likely that the borrower would be able to redeem the pledge in due co urse. It was therefore part of a rather stable economic situation. Insecuri ty of prospects persuaded people to refrain from pawning. Pawnshops thrived not on working-class destitution, but on the very modest "affluence" prole tarian families were able to achieve in the era of industrialization. The s triking differences between the patterns of pawning in Germany and in Great Britain therefore point to significant differences in proletarian standard s of living between the two societies in question.