THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM by the same author GENERAL ECONOMIC HISTORY by Ernst Troehsch THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES I MAX WEBER THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM TRANSLATED BY TALCOTT PARSONS Tutor in Economics, Harvard University WITH R. A FOREWORD BY H. TAWNEY NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS GEORGE ALLEN LONDON: & UNWIN LTD FIRST PUBLISHED IN GREAT BRITAIN IN I93O SECOND IMPRESSION 1 948 THIRD IMPRESSION I95O This book is copyright under the Berne Convention No any portion of it may be reprodttced by process without written permission. to Inquiries be addressed to the publisher PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY BUTLER AND TANNER LTD., FROME AND LONDON CONTENTS Translator's Preface jl. ^^c, j \N 3 L. j^ i Foreword Author's Introduction C C P, ^ 13 PART I THE PROBLEM CHAPTER I. Religious Affiliation and Social Stratification 35 II. The Spirit of Capitalism 47 III. Luther's Conception of the Calling. Task of the Investigation 79 PART II THE PRACTICAL ETHICS OF THE ASCETIC BRANCHES OF PROTESTANTISM IV. The A. B. Religious Foundations of Calvinism Pietism Worldly Asceticism 95 98 128 139 144 C. Methodism D. V. The Baptist Sects Asceticism and the Spirit of Capitalism 155 ...