Wirtschaftsgeschichte
Encyclopedia
Max Weber
's Wirtschaftsgeschichte (General Economic History in English) (1923) was composed by his students from lecture notes shortly after his death. In his General Economic History, Weber creates an institutional theory of the rise of capitalism
in the west. Unlike in his Protestant ethic, religion is given a minor role. The emphasis of the work lies instead on the place of the state and calculable law in allowing economic actors to predict exchange for gain.
Weber's institutional theory of capitalism was rediscovered in the early 1980s by writers like Randall Collins
, Daniel Chirot, and Douglass C. North, who worked to replace theories based largely on Immanuel Wallerstein
's "World Systems" theory.
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
's Wirtschaftsgeschichte (General Economic History in English) (1923) was composed by his students from lecture notes shortly after his death. In his General Economic History, Weber creates an institutional theory of the rise of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
in the west. Unlike in his Protestant ethic, religion is given a minor role. The emphasis of the work lies instead on the place of the state and calculable law in allowing economic actors to predict exchange for gain.
Weber's institutional theory of capitalism was rediscovered in the early 1980s by writers like Randall Collins
Randall Collins
Randall Collins, Ph.D. is the Dorothy Swaine Thomas Professor in Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Advisory Editors Council of the Social Evolution & History Journal. He is considered to be one of the leading non-Marxist conflict theorists in the United...
, Daniel Chirot, and Douglass C. North, who worked to replace theories based largely on Immanuel Wallerstein
Immanuel Wallerstein
Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein is a US sociologist, historical social scientist, and world-systems analyst...
's "World Systems" theory.