Religion and the Rise of Capitalism
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In one of the classics of twentieth-century political economy, R. H. Tawney addresses the question of how religion has affected social and economic practices. He does this by a relentless tracking of the influence of religious thought on capitalist economy and ideology since the Middle Ages. In so doing he sheds light on why Christianity continues to exert a unique role in the marketplace. In so doing, the book offers an incisive analysis of the historical background of present morals and mores in Western culture. Booknews Discusses the influence of religious thought on capitalist economy and ideology since the Middle Ages. The author argues that "the medieval conception of the social order, which had regarded it as a highly articulated organism of members contributing in their different ways to a spiritual purpose was shattered" in favor of a "creed of the individual" as "master of his own, with no obligation to postpone his own profit to the well-being of his neighbors." Originally published in 1926 by Harcourt Brace and Co. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Introduction to the Transaction EditionIntroductionIThe Medieval Background1The Social Organism14The Sin of Avarice36The Ideal and the Reality55IIThe Continental Reformers63The Economic Revolution66Luther79Calvin102IIIThe Church of England133The Land Question137Religious Theory and Social Policy150The Growth of Individualism175IVThe Puritan Movement195Puritanism and Society198A Godly Discipline versus the Religion of Trade211The Triumph of the Economic Virtues227The New Medicine for Poverty253VConclusion275Notes289Index327
