Scholars have pointed to the decline of the middle class since the end of the 19^th century. Andreas Schulz views middle class life as being a model of stability that still retains its power of identification, and offers support to those who regard themselves as members of the middle class. The addendum in the second edition covers more recent research, and the bibliography has been enlarged to include a number of major new works.

Andreas Schulz, Kommission für die Geschichte des Parlamentarismus und der politischen Parteien Berlin