1. Religion & Social Change
Key text: Max Weber – The Protestant Ethic & the Spirit of Capitalism (1905)

2. Max Weber Vs Marx’s Ghost

3. Weber at war with Marx’s ghost
Marx - ECONOMY = CHANGE IN RELIGION
Weber
RELIGION = CHANGE IN ECONOMY
Weber challenges the materialism and economic
determinism of Marxist theory.
Weber notes how society is shaped by human ideas
rather than action directed by ideology that is
manipulated by an economic elite.

4. Weber and Industrialisation
Weber studied how societies ‘took off’
Interested in the variables that led to economic growth and the rise of industrial society
Conducted a comparative analysis of many societies and identified the main factor that caused the birth of the industrial age

5. Overview page 13-14
Read the sections on Weber: Religion as a force for change.
How did Calvanism shape capitalism?

6. That key factor was….
The Protestant faith

7. ASCETIC CALVINIST PROTESTANTISM THE RISE OF WESTERN CAPITALISM
More precisely
ASCETIC CALVINIST PROTESTANTISM THE RISE OF WESTERN CAPITALISM

8. John Calvin

9. The importance of Calvinism
‘the elect’ – chosen to go to heaven – set by God before birth
Led to a psychological problem – ‘how did a Calvinist know that they had been chosen’ ?
Solution
‘ only CHOSEN PEOPLE would live a good life on Earth – so model behaviour was the goal’

10. The model behaviour was known as….
THE PROTESTANT ETHIC
and this led to the rise of capitalism

11. The Protestant Ethic This was an Ascetic
Abstaining from life’s pleasures
Living an austere lifestyle
Having strict self-discipline

12. ‘Calling’
Humans have a calling
This is their career – their way to please God
Hard work in one’s career was a sign of obedience and respect to God

13. ‘making money’
This was a sign of success and that you were pleasing God
‘being frugal’
People could not waste their wealth on luxuries
Money should be reinvested into businesses

14. The Protestant churches disapproved of…
Time wasting
Laziness
Idle gossip
People sleeping more than needed
Sexual intercourse (only for procreation)
Hedonism (frivolous pub/dance-hall/
gambling)
Sport for entertainment (only for health)

15. Ascetic Protestantism attitude to wealth
This attitude led to the creation of more profit and wealth
Helped the rise of capitalism = INVESTMENT
Capitalism is based upon:
rational organisation and action – a degree of self control and planning

16. The effect of the Protestant Ethic
These ethics led to – duties/obligations = a methodological, single-minded pursuit of a calling
Hard work
The rise of rational capitalism

17. Question to consider
“According to Max Weber, how did the Protestant religion lead to the rise of capitalist economy”

18. The death of religion?
Protestantism would sow the seeds of its own downfall
Rationale attitude to life ‘this world focused’----control ----efficiency ----instrumental ----THIS WOULD LEAD TO ACCUMULATING WEALTH FOR WEALTH’S SAKE!
This would result to ‘WORSHIP OF MONEY’… .vanity..self-obsession..greed

19. Critique Calvinism – was against the pursuit of wealth (Stombart)
Many Calvinist nations were slow to develop
Calvinism emerged where industry had already developed (Kautsky)
Exclusion = not Calvinist faith but their exclusion from mainstream society that was the key