중산층 개념을 둘러싼 담론

Discourse on the Concept of Mittelstand and the term of Jungsanchung, with a focus on Angestellter as a new Mittelstand

오늘날 우리는 중산층이라는 용어를 폭넓게 사용한다. 때로는 정책적인 함의를 가진 용어로도 등장된다. 중산층은 마르크스의 부르주아-프롤레타리아의 2계급 사회로 경제적인 측면에 주안을 둔 계급적 구분에 대해 베버가 사회적 위신과 같은 주관적 요소를 포함시켜 살펴보아야 한다는 대안적인 중간계급․계층의 개념이다. 독일어권의 원래의 “미텔슈탄트”(Mittelstand, “중산층”)에 대해 그 역사적인 사례를 중심으로 살펴본다. 비록 이 글에서 “중산층” 전반을 다루지는 않지만, 그 일부로서 산업화의 진전에 따라 점점 그 비중이 커져가며 중산층의 핵심을 이루게된다는 - 화이트칼라 (White Collar)로 영미권에 알려진 -오스트리아와 독일의 봉급고용인(Angestellter)을 다르며, 그들을 ‘신’중산층 으로 자리매김한 사례를 중심으로 살펴본다. 이 두 나라에서의 1906년과 1911년의 “봉급고용인연금보험법” 입법을 둘러싼 중산층 담론에서 봉급고용인을 ‘신’중산층으로 자리매김하는 신분사회적 ‘상징조작’이 이루어진 점에서는 중산층 개념이 개방적이라고 할 수있지만, 다른 한편으로는 오스트리아에서 18년 그리고 독일에서 5년이나 걸린 긴 과정을 거쳐 ‘법적으로’ 이러한 자리매김이 이루어진 점에서는 “중산 층” 개념이 마냥 개방적이지는 않다는 것을 알 수 있다. “중산층” 용어 사용에 있어서 보다 조심스럽고 중산층의 용어의 일관성과 유용성이 견지될 수 있기를 바라며 , 또 다른 한편으로는 다른 역사적인 사례 연구들로 중산층 담론이 풍부해지기를 바라는 취지의 글이다.

The social stratification with status groups in Weberian view stands in strong contrast to the Marxian view of and prediction for a two-classes-society. The atter characterizes Western (Anglo-French) Europe in a period of rapid industrialization, while the former stands for the Austro-German society with pre-industrial status-oriented Stand, which persisted in the Middle Europe. The Mittelstandspolitk targets Middle classes/Mittelstände - old Mittelstand and new Mittelstand -, so as to keep them from being marginalized between bourgeoisie and proletariat. The Austrian “Law on Pension Insurance for the Salaried Employees” of December 16, 1906 (Gesetz, betreffend die Pensionsversicherung der in privaten Diensten und einiger öffentlichen Angestellten, RGBl. Nr. 1 ex 1907) was a part of a new Mittelstandpolitik, meeting the demand from Salaried Employees ( Angestellter ) for their own pension system, based on the self-consciousness that their work should be similar to public officers . The Austrian law tried to define the Salaried Employees ( Angestellter ) in legal terms and to delineate the categories of Salaried Employees, emphasizing the characteristics of them as salary-employees with mental work. The general social term „Angestellter“ in traditional German language, became a legal term with the Austrian law, which combined the Salaried Employees in private services and in some official sectors( in privaten Diensten und einiger öffentlichen ) as Angestelle. The Austrian Law found such a vivid resonance in Germany, as to lead to the German Law on Pension Insurance for Salaried Employees (Versicherungsgesetz für Angestellte) of December 20, 1911. The German law officially coined the legal term of Angestellte, Salaried Employees. Thus the traditional social term Angestellte turned into a legal term with cash value in the Middle Europe. In contrast to the Austrian law, the German law fell short of providing for any definition of the term Angestellte in a positive way, but only in a negative way, pointing at higher or leading characteristics of their work, which could separate them from ordinary wage workers, Arbeiter. As a part of the Mittelstandspolitk to boost Salaried Employees and consolidate them into a new Mittelstand, the Austro-German laws were intended to drive a wedge between Angestellte and Arbeiter (Wage Earners), to separate one from another in a far-fetched way. The Austro-German laws betray the state-level manipulation of social status symbols, targeting at status-minded groups like Angestellte. Reflecting on 18-years of history of legislation in Austria and furthermore 5 years in Germany for positioning the Salaried Employees ( Angestellter ) into a new Mittelstand, this paper is intended to address a deficit in the academic discourse, pondering on the usefulness and consistency of the term of Jungsancheung Korean equivalent of Mittelstand, without due consideration of socio-historical context of the term of Mittelstand, an unique concept to Austro-German societies.