Civil associations as guarantors of democracy and more: the history of associations and their political role in the transnational perspective

The article offers a review of the book “Social Communication and Democracy: Associations and Civil Society in a Transnational Perspective, 1750-1914” by Stefan-Ludwig Hoffmann. The book gives an overview of large-scale sources and research on the history of development and the political role of civic associations in a transnational perspective for over 100 years, using the materials from the USA, England, France, Germany, the Austrian Empire and the Russian Empire. The review provides a general description of the book, focuses on its key sections and arguments of the author, as well as the place of materials and Hoffmann's arguments in the scientific discourse on civic associations in various political contexts. The key conceptual issues of the book, the controversial or inaccurate points in the system of the author's argument are discussed. The review concludes by an observation about who and in what sense the book can be useful for.