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Historical FiguresSociologist, Economist

Maximilian Carl Emil Weber

1864 - 1920

Founding sociologist known for *The Protestant Ethic* and theories of rational bureaucracy

Quick Facts

Born

1864

Died

1920

Profession

Sociologist, Economist

Nationality

German

Biography

Weber's essay linked Calvinist ethics to capitalist spirit; later works categorised authority (traditional, charismatic, legal‑rational) and analysed modernity's 'iron cage'. Teaching at Heidelberg and Munich, he influenced political science and sociology. Weber died of Spanish flu 1920, manuscripts later compiled as *Economy and Society*.

Historical Significance

Weber's analytic tools remain core to sociology, organizational studies and public administration