The New Elderly. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the percentage of the elderly in the European population grew because people were living longer. By 1850, 10 percent of the European population was over sixty. In southern and eastern Europe—regions characterized by complex, multigenerational households—the elderly frequently lived with their children and grandchildren. In western and northern Europe, the elderly were more likely to live by themselves. As the proportion of the elderly in society increased, the concerns and needs of older people were brought to the center of political debate.

Safety Nets: State Pensions and Insurance. Until the late eighteenth century, most elderly people had only their families to support them. Many widows and widowers moved in with their children. Others gave their children their inheritance early as a type of annuity in return for long-term...