Unanticipated Events: An Unforeseen Turn of Events
In a revealing study spanning over 150 years, sociologist Michael Hartmann has delved into the social composition of the elites in Germany, from the German Empire to mid-2024. The research, which covers various political regimes including the German Empire, Weimar Republic, and beyond, offers a stark insight into the entrenchment of elite privilege in Germany's socio-political landscape.
Hartmann's extensive research, which involved tracking 2,400 elite positions, reveals a striking consistency in the social background of the elites across economics, politics, justice, and administration sectors. Despite major political and social upheavals, German business dynasties have demonstrated remarkable survival and continuity throughout these periods.
The research suggests that the top 3-4% of the population maintain their monopoly on elite positions primarily through legal and structural means rather than purely through merit. The belief among German workers in the idea of meritocracy, while strong, is largely a fantasy sustained by the presence of a few exceptional individuals who break through, while overall social mobility remains extremely limited.
At the current pace, genuine social mobility in Germany would take roughly another millennium to achieve, highlighting how entrenched elite privilege is. This finding underscores the systematic entrenchment of elite privilege in Germany, sustained by legal frameworks and social beliefs rather than true equal opportunity.
Meanwhile, in the realm of fiction, Rainald Goetz's character Johann Holtrop, a top manager and son of an industrialist, serves as a symbol of this consistent social background of the elites. Holtrop, as depicted in Goetz's work, attributes his success to a combination of factors, including familial and educational influences.
Interestingly, Hartmann intentionally excluded the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from his research, as it represented a different type of society with almost complete elite turnover.
In conclusion, Hartmann's research offers a sobering look at the deep-rooted nature of elite privilege in Germany, challenging the widespread belief in meritocracy and suggesting the need for significant changes in the country's legal and social structures to promote genuine social mobility.
Hartmann's research, emphasizing a consistent social background among Germany's elites across various sectors, highlights the importance of education-and-self-development and career-development for broader social mobility. The finding of a monopoly maintained by the top 3-4% of the population through legal and structural means, rather than merit, underscores the need for a reevaluation of Germany's education system and career development opportunities to foster genuine social mobility.
