Inherited Wealth

Jens Beckert is a director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, Germany. His books include "Beyond the Market: The Social Foundation of Economic Sociology" (Princeton).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Inheritance and Modern Society 1 1.2 Social Dimensions of Inheritance Law 12 Chapter 2: The Right to Bequeath: Testamentary Freedom and the Individuality of Property 21 2.1 France: Equality versus the Freedom of Private Disposition over Property 23 2.2 Germany: Testamentary Freedom versus Family and Social Justice 50 2.3 United States: Equality of Opportunity versus Individual Rights of Disposition 69 2.4 Conclusion 80 Chapter 3: Equality and Inclusion: The Inheritance Rights of the Family 83 3.1 The Principle of Equality in Intestacy Law 87 3.2 The Spouse in Intestacy Law 90 3.3 The Integration of Illegitimate Children into Inheritance Law 99 3.4 Conclusion 109 Chapter 4: Political Structure and Inheritance Law: The Abolition of Entails 114 4.1 The Double Abolition of Substitutions in France 119 4.2 The Delayed Abolition of Fideikommisse in Germany 131 4.3 The Abolition of Entails in the American Revolution 156 4.4 Conclusion 163 Chapter 5: Social Justice through Redistribution? The Taxation of Inheritance 167 5.1 Equality of Opportunity versus Private Property: The Estate Tax in the United States 171 5.2 "Sense of Family" versus Social Justice: The Inheritance Tax in Germany 209 5.3 Destruction of National Wealth? The Progressive Inheritance Tax in France 243 5.4 Conclusion 270 Chapter 6: Conclusion: Discourses and Institutions 275 APPENDIX: THE METHOD OF CONTENT ANALYSIS OF PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 295 NOTES 299 REFERENCES 343 INDEX 367