The book "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere" by Jürgen Habermas is a comprehensive historical-sociological analysis of the emergence, transformation, and disintegration of the bourgeois public sphere. It combines methods from sociology, economics, law, political science, and social and cultural history to explore the preconditions, structures, functions, and inner tensions of this central domain of modern society. The public sphere, which emerged in the context of a developing market economy, was a sphere between civil society and the state, where critical public discussion of matters of general interest was institutionally guaranteed. Habermas traces the interdependent development of the literary and political self-consciousness of the emergent bourgeoisie, highlighting the contradiction between the liberal public sphere's ideal of "basic rights of man" and its de facto restriction to a certain class. As capitalism evolved, the public body expanded beyond the bourgeoisie to include disadvantaged groups, leading to the intertwining of state and society in the late 19th and 20th centuries. This transformation ended the liberal public sphere, giving rise to a social-welfare state where public opinion is taken into account but not in the form of unrestricted discussion. The book also examines the concept of public opinion and its role in democratic theory, questioning whether democracy is possible under different socioeconomic, political, and cultural conditions.The book "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere" by Jürgen Habermas is a comprehensive historical-sociological analysis of the emergence, transformation, and disintegration of the bourgeois public sphere. It combines methods from sociology, economics, law, political science, and social and cultural history to explore the preconditions, structures, functions, and inner tensions of this central domain of modern society. The public sphere, which emerged in the context of a developing market economy, was a sphere between civil society and the state, where critical public discussion of matters of general interest was institutionally guaranteed. Habermas traces the interdependent development of the literary and political self-consciousness of the emergent bourgeoisie, highlighting the contradiction between the liberal public sphere's ideal of "basic rights of man" and its de facto restriction to a certain class. As capitalism evolved, the public body expanded beyond the bourgeoisie to include disadvantaged groups, leading to the intertwining of state and society in the late 19th and 20th centuries. This transformation ended the liberal public sphere, giving rise to a social-welfare state where public opinion is taken into account but not in the form of unrestricted discussion. The book also examines the concept of public opinion and its role in democratic theory, questioning whether democracy is possible under different socioeconomic, political, and cultural conditions.