  A condensed introduction to quantum gauge theories is given in the
perturbative S-matrix framework; path integral methods are used nowhere. This
approach emphasizes the fact that it is not necessary to start from classical
gauge theories which are then subject to quantization, but it is also possible
to recover the classical group structure and coupling properties from purely
quantum mechanical principles. As a main tool we use a free field version of
the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin gauge transformation, which contains no
interaction terms related to a coupling constant. This free gauge
transformation can be formulated in an analogous way for quantum
electrodynamics, Yang-Mills theories with massless or massive gauge bosons and
quantum gravity.
