Chapters 1-6 were previously published in: Origins of the German welfare state. Berlin : Springer, 2013 (German social policy ; v. 2).
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Social protection in the middle ages and in the early modern state : alms, poor relief (Armenpolizei), care, social help -- Social policy in the empire : the insurance solution -- The first world war -- The Weimar Republic -- The Nazi state -- The post-war period, the Federal Republic, and the German Democratic Republic -- Social law as a scientific discipline -- Europeanization of social law -- Long term perspectives for social protection