The Struggle for the People

In this book Ove Korsgaard, the well-known scholar of democracy, examines how the concept of people has changed throughout Danish history. Interpretations and uses of this notion have had dramatic influence on the building of Danish society. The struggle for the people is the struggle for power in society. Until the age of Enlightenment, the concept was used to categorize the subjects of the master of the house, the subjects of the King, the subjects of God. Later the notion became a revolutionary key concept. The people was now regarded as sovereign. Today we are confronted with new questions, but the struggle continues: How are we to understand the concept of people in a world of globalization, individualization and migration? The book is aimed at teachers of Danish history and foreign language students, but anyone who wants a quick overview of Danish history throughout the last 500 years will profit by this book.