Historia pewnej garbarni. Meandry awansu społeczno-towarzyskiego kaliskiej burżuazji w I poł. XIX w.
The story of a tannery. Meanders of social advancement of the Kalisz bourgeoisie in the first half of the 19th century

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present work is to outline the paths of the social advancement of the wealthy bourgeoisie of the German origin at the end of the nineteenth century and in the first half of the twentieth century. Thanks to the protective policy of the government of the Kingdom of Poland in the first decades of the 19th century, there was a significant rise of migrational tendencies. The flow of a large number of craftspeople and manufacturers speeded up the process of the modernization of the industry in Kalisz and the area. The owners of the factories and workshops, thanks to the inspirations taken from the religious (Protestant) ethos of work, the possessed knowledge and the organisational skills, gained profit in an extremely fast way, as well as recognition, credit and prestige in their profession. Wealthiness allowed to join the circle of the elite group of Kalisz bourgeoisie. Taking surprising life decisions was caused by the concern about the preservation of the factory, sustaining the financial stability of the family and, in the long term, passing the business to their successors.

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