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Protestantism And The Rise Of Capitalism

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Protestantism And The Rise Of Capitalism
Protestantism and the Rise of Capitalism

It has been asserted that the Protestant Reformation, a Christian transformation movement beginning in the 16th century, may have impacted Western European thinking in a way that changed society in a fashion that extended well beyond the church. This paper will examine whether the Protestant movement played a role in the rise of Capitalism.
A German Marxist economist, Max Weber, dubbed the term “The Protestant Ethic” which has become common today. In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, published in 1904, Weber theorizes that Protestantism had a significant influence on the development capitalism in Europe and that this had important repercussions on shaping modern society (Pierotti,
…show more content…
2001. The Beloved Myth: Protestantism and the Rise of Industrial Capitalism in Nineteenth-Century Europe. Social Forces
(December). Vol. 80, Issue 2
Gonzalez. Justo L. 2010. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day. Peabody, Massachusetts: Prince Press.
Harman, Chris. 2004. The Rise of Capitalism. International Socialism Journal (Spring). http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj102/harman.htm (accessed 14 April 2011).
Kilcullen, John. 1996. Max Weber: On Capitalism. MacQuerie University. Australia. http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/Ockham/y64l10.html (accessed
McGrath, Alister E. 1990. A life of John Calvin: a study in the shaping of Western culture. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing
…show more content…
2000. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, 2nd edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Pierotti, Sandra. 2003. Backup of the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: Criticisms of Weber’s Thesis. http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/weberrelbk01.htm (accessed 21 April 2011)
Snead, Jennifer. 2005. Evangelical History. On David Hempton’s Methodism: Empire of the Spirit. Foundation, Brooklyn NY.
Stark, Rodney. 2005. How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism and the Success of the West. Rodney Stark. "How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and the
Success of the West." The Chronicle of Higher Education.52:15 (December
2, 2005), B11. http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0109.html (accessed on Apr 4, 2011)
Weber, M. 2003. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Original German edition: 'Die protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus.' Translated by
Talcott Parsons. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications.

Good. The paper has a clear, readable style and flows well with a good structure. The paper relies very much on the sources used and to take it to the next level a greater degree of your own “voice,” your own analysis and assessment (not just that of your sources) should be included. Part of this would be the use of more primary sources. Overall this is a solid, well written

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