Werner Sombart

The Jews and Modern Capitalism Werner Sombart

The son of a wealthy landowner and politician, Sombart was educated in Berlin, Pisa, and Rome, obtaining his Ph. D. from the University of Berlin in 1888. He taught at the University of Breslau and later returned to teach at the University of Berlin. Sombart's The Jew and Modern Capitalism refutes Max Weber's theory of the Protestant ethic, arguing that Jews introduced the spirit of capitalism into Northern Europe after being dispersed by the Inquisition. Translated in London by M. Epstein (1866-1933)