Max Weber

About the author

Max Weber (1864–1920) stands as one of the founding figures of modern sociology, whose ideas on rationalization, disenchantment, and the cultural roots of capitalism continue to shape social theory. Born in Erfurt, he studied law and history in Berlin, Göttingen, and Heidelberg, earning his doctorate in 1889. After a breakdown following his father's death in 1897, he recovered to write his landmark work, *The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism*.

He later co-founded the German Democratic Party and advised the drafting of the Weimar Constitution. He died of pneumonia in Munich in 1920, leaving *Economy and Society* unfinished.