This article analyzes the historical and political thinking of the eighteenth-century German historian August Ludwig Schlözer, in the context of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution. The article argues that Schlözer's disillusionment with these transformative events led him to identify the German settlers in medieval Transylvania as agents of a better Enlightenment. In doing so, Schlözer constructed the history of the Transylvanian German colony as an antithesis to American colonial endeavors, while redefining the frameworks and history of enlightened progress in both time and space. In this way, Schlözer translated the history of a marginal East–Central European region into a world-historical narrative.

本文分析了 18 世纪德国历史学家奥古斯特·路德维希·施洛泽 (August Ludwig Schlözer) 在美国独立战争和法国大革命背景下的历史和政治思想。文章认为，施洛泽对这些变革性事件的幻灭使他将中世纪特兰西瓦尼亚的德国定居者认定为更好的启蒙运动的代理人。在这样做的过程中，施洛泽将特兰西瓦尼亚德国殖民地的历史构建为与美国殖民努力的对立面，同时重新定义了时间和空间上开明进步的框架和历史。通过这种方式，施洛泽将东欧-中欧边缘地区的历史翻译成世界历史叙事。