Childhood in Modern Europe

This invaluable introduction to the history of childhood in both Western and Eastern Europe between c.1700 and 2000 seeks to give a voice to children as well as adults wherever possible. The work is divided into three parts covering in turn childhood in rural village societies during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; in the towns during the Industrial Revolution period (c.17501870); and in society generally during the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Each part has a succinct introduction to a number of key topics such as conceptions of childhood; infant and child mortality; the material conditions of children; their cultural life; the welfare facilities available to them from charities and the state; and the balance of work and schooling. Combining a chronological with a thematic approach this book will be of particular interest to students and academics in a number of disciplines including history sociology anthropology geography literature and education.