Werner Sombart

Vocation

Notable

German economist and sociologist, the head of the “Youngest Historical School” and one of the leading Continental European social scientists during the first quarter of the 20th century. He incorporated Marxist principles and Nazi theories in his writings on capitalism. In 1902, appeared his magnum opus, "Der moderne Kapitalismus". It is a systematic history of economics and economic development through the centuries and very much a work of the Historical School. Even today it is still a standard work. Only in 1917 Sombart became professor at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, then the pre-eminent university in Europe if not in the world, succeeding his mentor Adolph Wagner. He remained on the chair until 1931 but continued teaching until 1940. During that period, he was also one of the leading sociologists around, much more prominent than his friend Max Weber, who later of course eclipsed him to the point that Sombart is virtually forgotten in that field by now. However, in recent years sociologists have shown renewed interest in Sombart's work. During the Weimar Republic, Sombart moved toward nationalism, and his relation to Nazism is still debated today. He died 18 May 1941, Berlin. Link to Wikipedia biography