The book of the famous German historian Alf Ludtke - one of the founders of the "history of everyday life" direction - is a rare combination of innovative theory and methodology, implemented directly in research practice. The publication specially prepared by the author for the Russian-speaking reader covers a wide range of scientific problems related to different periods of modern history, and aims to demonstrate the great potential of everyday history. Despite the fact that the book focuses on the events of German history of the 20th century, the author's proposed new approaches to the study of labor, war and power are universal in nature and are just as relevant in relation to the modern history of Russia.