Rg Zeitschri des Max-Planck-Instituts für europäische Rechtsgeschichte Rechts Journal of the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History geschichte Rechtsgeschichte Legal History www.rg.mpg.de 21 http://www.rg-rechtsgeschichte.de/rg21 Rg 2013 32–47 Zitiervorschlag: Rechtsgeschichte – Legal History Rg 21 (2013) http://dx.doi.org/10.12946/rg21/032-047 Thorsten Keiser Between Status and Contract? Coercion in Contractual Labour Relationships in Germany from the 16th to the 20th century Dieser Beitrag steht unter einer Creative Commons cc-by-nc-nd 3.0 Rg Zeitschri des Max-Planck-Instituts für europäische Rechtsgeschichte Rechts Journal of the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History geschichte Rechtsgeschichte Legal History www.rg.mpg.de 21 http://www.rg-rechtsgeschichte.de/rg21 Rg 2013 9–14 Zitiervorschlag: Rechtsgeschichte – Legal History Rg 21 (2013) Inhalt Dieser Beitrag steht unter einer Creative Commons cc-by-nc-nd 3.0 Recherche research Milan Kuhli 16 Power and Law in Enlightened Absolutism – Carl Gottlieb Svarez’ Theoretical and Practical Approach Thorsten Keiser 32 Between Status and Contract ? Coercion in Contractual Labour Relationships in Germany from the 16th to the 20th century Ignacio de la Rasilla del Moral 48 El estudio del Derecho internacional en el corto siglo XIX español Fokus focus Taufe und Recht Christoph H. F. Meyer 68 Taufe und Recht. Einige einführende Bemerkungen Wolfram Brandes 75 Taufe und soziale / politische Inklusion und Exklusion in Byzanz Christoph H. F. Meyer 89 Taufe und Person im ersten Jahrtausend. Beobachtungen zu den christlichen Wurzeln einer Grundkategorie europäischen Rechtsdenkens Richard Helmholz 118 Baptism in the Medieval Canon Law Christiane Birr 129 Titulus ad regnum coelorum: Zur Taufe und ihren Wirkungen in der theologisch-juristischen Argumentation der Schule von Salamanca Michael Sievernich 142 »Baptismus barbarorum« oder christliche Initiation in der Neuen Welt Amerika (16. Jahrhundert) Forum forum Harold Berman, Law and Revolution Thomas Duve 156 Law and Revolution – revisited Michael Welker 161 The Early Harold Berman On »Public Opinion« Gerhard Dilcher 164 Bermans »Law and Revolution« – eine rechts- historische Revolution ? Andreas Thier 173 Harold Berman’s »Law and Revolution«: A Necessary Challenge for Legal History Research Thomas Vesting 176 Die Suche nach einem Zeichen. Anmerkungen zum Gebrauch der Worte Revolution, Verfassung und Christentum bei Harold Berman Wim Decock 180 Capital Confidence. Updating Harold Berman’s Views on Mercantile Law and Belief Systems Pierre Monnet 186 Usages et réceptions médiévistes de Berman : un point de vue français Diego Quaglioni 189 «The Outer and the Inner Aspects of Social Life» Tomasz Giaro 193 The East of the West. Harold J. Berman and Eastern Europe Alessandro Somma 198 Diritto comparato e rivoluzione Wang Jing 203 Law and Revolution in China. In memory of the 30th anniversary of Law and Revolution’s publication Heikki Pihlajamäki 212 Berman’s best pupils ? The reception of Law and Revolution in Finland Kristjan Oad 215 Berman and Livonia – Two Prodigious Strangers Charles J. Reid 219 Tradition in Revolution: Harold J. Berman and the Historical Understanding of the Papacy John Witte, Jr. 224 Harold J. Berman as Historian and Prophet Kritik critique Karl Härter 230 Gewaltgeschichten Francisca Loetz, Sexualisierte Gewalt 1500 –1850 Pieter Spierenburg, Violence and Punishment: Civilizing the Body Through Time Alexandra Kohlhöfer 233 Die Inquisition und ihre Wahrnehmung im Alten Reich Tribunal der Barbaren? Deutschland und die Inquisition in der Frühen Neuzeit, hg. von Albrecht Burckhardt und Gerd Schwerhoff Petr Kreuz 235 Kriminalität und Strafgerichtsbarkeit in den Böhmischen Ländern Jindřich Francek, Zločinnost a bezpráví [Kriminalität und Unrecht] Petr Kreuz 237 Konflikte im frühneuzeitlichen Ostböhmen Tereza Siglová, Soudové zisku nenesou [Gerichte bringen keinen Gewinn] Taisiya Belyakova 240 Letzter Wille und Seelenheil Ziran Ladić, Last Will: Passport to Heaven Anna Margarete Seelentag 242 Regeln und Prinzipien Christoph Lundgreen, Regelkonflikte in der römischen Republik Daniel Damler 244 Roms Enteignung Andreas M. Fleckner, Antike Kapital- vereinigungen Mathias Schmoeckel 247 Eine sehr zivilisierte Völkerrechtsgeschichte Gustavo Gozzi, Diritti e civiltà Stefan Kroll 249 Visible and Invisible Civilization Marc Pauka, Kultur, Fortschritt und Reziprozität Stefan Kroll 250 Koloniales Kapital. Über Pfadabhängigkeiten rechtlicher und politischer Einflussnahme Yves Dezalay, Bryant G. Garth, Asian Legal Revivals Kritik critique Oliver Lepsius 252 Eine zu Recht vergessene Vergangenheit ? David M. Rabban, Law’s History Thorsten Keiser 254 Von Proletariern und Peones: Liberales und soziales Arbeitsrecht im Laboratorium der mexikanischen Justiz William Suarez-Potts, The Making of the Law Alessandro Somma 257 Cultura giuridica e giuristi nella transizione dallo Stato liberale al fascismo Massimo Brutti, Vittorio Scialoja, Emilio Betti. Due visioni del diritto civile Marginalien marginalia Wolfram Brandes 262 Die »Familie der Könige« im Mittelalter. Ein Diskussionsbeitrag zur Kritik eines vermeintlichen Erkenntnismodells Caspar Ehlers, 285 Eine archäologisch entdeckte, bisher unbekannte Holger Grewe, Taufpiscina in Ingelheim. Sebastian Ristow Perspektiven zur Erforschung der Dualität königlicher und bischöflicher Siedlungstätigkeit im Frühmittelalter Abstracts 291 abstracts Autoren 296 contributors Rg212013 Thorsten Keiser Between Status and Contract? Coercion in Contractual Labour Relationships in Germany from the 16th to the 20th century 1 Introduction: The freedom of working Legal history reflections on the freedom of people between the law of labour before labour relations often focused on the dichotomy and labour law since 1900 ofcontractlabourandslavery.Sincemostanalyses oftheissuelinkedthequestionoffreedomclosely In Germany, the termination of employment tothestatusoftheworkingindividual,thepoten- contracts is a central and often intensely debated tialsforautonomy within labour contractsvolun- legal issue today.This is not surprising since em- tarilyenteredintobypeopletendedtoreceivelittle ployment termination entails substantial risks for attention.2 This was the theme of a study under- thepersonaffectedandthreatenstheveryfounda- taken bymyself at theUniversityofFrankfurt am tion of hisor hereconomicexistence.Thisiswhy Main in 2007–2010 whose results form the basis both politics and legal dogmatics place the indi- ofthefollowingcomments.3Thisanalysisoffree- vidualengagedindependentworkatthecentreof dom and coercion in the employment of people concern as a subject requiring protection. In Ger- bound by contract attempted to explore a sphere many, labour law (»Arbeitsrecht«) emerged as an between the free labour contract and slavery in independent field of law focusing on the persona a manner similar to work on the United States ofthedependentworker(»Arbeitnehmer«)andits already published.4 This article argues that the typified normative ascriptions. This process took labourrelationshipsofpeopleengagedinphysical place in the course of the 20th century, as the workwerealsobondedandunfreeintheGerman- conceptoftheprincipalrequirementthatemploy- speakingregionsbefore1919.Theanalysisfocused ees be protected against unforeseen or unjustified mainly on the world of craftsmen, servants, day dismissal became increasingly established, giving labourers and factory workers which was subdi- risetoveryintricateregulations.Socialsecurityisa videdintomanynormativespheresboundtostatus guiding motif of this legislation which regards in the German territories since around 1500 and contractterminationprimarilyasarisk.Itisoften then also in the states of the German Confeder- notconsideredthatthisconstellationisaverynew ationafter1815andtheGermanReichfrom1871 one. Defined conceptions of the interests of the to 1919.Thedecisive criteria fordetermination of partiestolabourcontractsalsoexistedbefore1900, the autonomy potential of working people are butsocialsecuritywasthennotacentralcriterion. their opportunities for repression-free market ac- At that time, many people perceived the termina- cess and their equality as contract parties. Both tionoftheiremploymentasanopportunityrather were suppressed by authoritarian norms. In the than primarily as a risk. Employers, on the other early modern period, comprehensive access of hand, aimed to keep people in theirservice foras employers to the labour power of their subordi- long as possible. In the late 19th century, the nates formed part of the prevailing conception of enforcementoflabourperformancebylegalmeans the common good. Police sanctions and punish- andnormativeinstruments,whichnolongerplays ment threatened those who failed to comply. any role today, was still an important issue.1 This These regulations interacted with a restrictive set provides occasion to investigate the freedom of ofnormswhichsought to suppressthesocialand workingpeoplefromtheperspectiveofthehistory physical mobility of those performing physical of law, wherebythisarticlefocuseson the history labour. These conditions are examined here in oftheGerman-speakingterritories. interaction with the findings of social history 1 Seetheexamplesinthefollowing 3 Keiser(2013). section. 4 SeethecommentsinSteinfeld 2 See,however,theprincipalstudy: (1991). Steinfeld(1991),andSteinfeld (2006). 32 BetweenStatusandContract? Recherche research research. What emerges is a »law of labour« look for a different position? If people are con- (»Recht der Arbeit«) which remained stable for strained by coercion and punishment to perform centuries.Theaimistoshowthatitalsoremained theirlabourandhavenoopportunitytooffertheir largely unaffected by the shifts occurring during labour power on the market for alternative em- theperiodoftransition(»Sattelzeit«)around1800 ployment, they are in a situation of dependency, which saw major conceptual changes in legal even if they are free to choose their employer. thought.The repressive system only began to be Freedom of choice, as is well known, is only real overcome by the late 19th century.Unfree labour freedom if sufficient alternatives are available. If nowbegantobeviewedasproblematicinthefield people are also denied opportunities for social of tension between private and public law. The advance, for example due to lack of education or key question was whether a service contract law mobility, dependence is intensified. We now was conceivable which would principally recog- present a brief description of two areas in which nise freedom and equality for all and be freed of suchsituationsexisted. its incorporation into public law. What is pre- sentedhereisahistoryoftheliberationofservice 2.1 Industry contracts from paternalistic police norms which ends with the (perhaps too) late triumph of an ThefilesofthePrussianMinistryforTradeand equality-orientedconception of privatelaw in the Commerce in the Prussian Privy State Archive in 20th century. Berlin-Dahlem(GeheimesStaatsarchivPreußischer Wecandistinguishbetweentwomajornorma- Kulturbesitz,Berlin-Dahlem)areahighlyinterest- tive areas defined by different premises which are ing source of information on labour conflicts in incisiveforinvestigatingthefreedompotentialsof 19thcenturyGermany.Theministrywasthehigh- working people.The law as it existed before 1919 est of thePrussian authoritiesconcernedwiththe differedindesigndependingonthespecificstatus activities of the trade inspectorate (»Gewerbepoli- and professional environment, but tended to be zei«).Theysent reportson theirdailyworkto the groundedinpaternalisticandpoliceconceptsand ministry as the superior authority along with in- orientedtowardssuppressinglabourmarketdyna- quiries requesting decisions or legal information. mism.The term »law of labour« appears histori- Thereportsofferfascinatinginsightsintotheprac- callyappropriatetothislaw.Itmustbedemarcated tical problems and conflicts of German industrial from thenowcurrent »labourlaw« whichaffirms workersandcraftsmenwiththeiremployers.5 the free labour market, while seeking to mitigate One case we encounter in these files concerns its risks to the individual employee by social a factory worker called Rostenstengel. In 1881, protectionnorms. he left his previous employer in Düsseldorf and startedworkinginanewfactory.6Thelocalpolice authority issued a personal detention order for 2 Examples: Coercion in industrial and eight days imprisonment against him because he agricultural labour relationships in the late had broken his contract. Since Rosenstengel dis- 19th century regarded this order and did not return to his previous job, a new order was issued raising the As suggested above, the attitude of the legal threatened period of detention to 14 days, should systemtotheproblemofnon-performanceisakey the worker not resume his previous employment criterion for the autonomy of individuals in their aftertheendofhiseight-dayincarceration.Rosen- contractual labour relationships. What happens if stengelwasarrestedanddetainedforeightdaysin peopledonotwishtoobeytheinstructionsoftheir thedistrictprison,afterwhichhestilldidnotwish employers and perhaps even leave their work to to continue working for his previous employer. 5 Theyareaccessibleintherepertoryby Buck(1960),(1970). 6 Theentirecaseispresentedin:Prus- sianPrivyStateArchiveIHARep. 120BBVII1,No.5vol.3,pp.241– 246,seeKeiser(2013)301ff. ThorstenKeiser 33