ABSTRACT
Der moderne Kapitalismus made its first appearance in 1902. The work then consisted of two stout volumes, some 1,350 pages, tracing the rise of capitalism from its tentative beginnings in the Middle Ages to its full development in the nineteenth century. At once this vigorous study of economic behavior excited keen interest. The wide scope of the investigation, the full documentation, the constructive power revealed in organizing a vast mass of materials elicited admiration. Werner Sombart seemed to recapture that blend of history and theory which had lent intellectual distinction to Marx’s Kapital— that blend which Schmoller had striven after with less success. But in detail the work was uneven. A 259succession of critics cast doubt upon several of the writer’s fondest contentions. Fortunately for the rest of us, Sombart was driven by the demoniac energy of one of those capitalist enterprisers at whose irrational self-exploitation he marvels. Spurred on by praise and blame, he set himself to rework the whole field more intensively.
