Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf, Baron Dahrendorf

Born:

May 1, 1929, Hamburg, Germany

Died:

June 17, 2009, Cologne, Germany

Nationality:

German, British (from 1979)

Profession(s):

Sociologist, Political Scientist, Liberal Politician, Public Intellectual

Early Life and Education

• Son of Lina and Gustav Dahrendorf, a Social Democratic member of the German Reichstag.
• Active in the anti-Nazi resistance during World War II.
• Arrested and briefly imprisoned by the Gestapo in 1944.
• Studied Philosophy, Classical Philology, and Sociology at the University of Hamburg.
• Received a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Hamburg in 1952.
• Further studies at the London School of Economics.

Career and Major Achievements

• Professor of Sociology at the University of Hamburg (1958-1960).
• Professor of Sociology at the University of Tübingen (1960-1964).
• Professor of Sociology at the University of Konstanz (1966-1969).
• Member of the German Bundestag for the Free Democratic Party (FDP) (1969-1970).
• Parliamentary Secretary of State in the German Foreign Office (1969-1970).
• Commissioner of the European Commission (1970-1974).
• Director of the London School of Economics (1974-1984).
• Professor of Sociology at the University of Konstanz (1984-1987).
• Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford (1987-1997).
• Member of the House of Lords (life peerage, 1993).

Notable Works

• Class and Class Conflict in Industrial Society (1959)
• Society and Democracy in Germany (1965)
• Essays in the Theory of Society (1968)
• The New Liberty: Survival and Justice in a Changing World (1975)
• Life Chances: Approaches to Social and Political Theory (1979) - This explored what later became the "konzept lebenschancen dahrendorf biography" highlights, focusing on life chances and individual liberty.
• Law and Order (1985)
• Reflections on the Revolution in Europe (1990)
• After 1989: Morals, Revolution and Civil Society (1997)
• A History of the London School of Economics and Political Science, 1895-1995 (1995)
• The Modern Social Conflict (1988)

Legacy and Impact

Ralf Dahrendorf was a prominent sociologist, political scientist, and liberal intellectual who made significant contributions to the study of class conflict, social change, and individual liberty. His work emphasized the importance of conflict in maintaining social order and the need for robust institutions to protect individual rights. He served in various academic and political roles, influencing public policy and shaping intellectual discourse for decades.

Awards and Honors

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