From Guild Welfare to Bismarck Care.

The analysis delves into the historical role of professional guilds in shaping insurance and social security in Germany, challenging existing narratives that lack analytical support. It argues that while guilds significantly contributed to the foundations of social security, their influence evolved through two transformative phases before informing Bismarck's legislation. Conversely, the study concludes that guilds did not directly affect modern insurance or insurance law, offering a nuanced understanding of their legacy from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century.