The existing scholarly literature on the work and life of Max Weber has almost nothing to say about Max Weber's dissertation which was part of his first book, The History of Commercial Partnerships. This article reconstructs the development of this work. It explores how Weber chose and developed his dissertation, describes its major themes, and analyzes the academic contexts that framed it. Of particular interest is Max Weber's relationship to Levin Goldschmidt, a leading scholar in the history of commercial law, and Weber's dissertation chair; also the assessment of each scholar's work by the other. The article also sheds light on how Weber's dissertation influenced his early career and it addresses Weber's personal life during this time, including Weber's relationship to his cousin Emmy Baumgarten, and his life as a bachelor at his parents' home, ruled by Max Weber Sr. The analysis reveals the remarkable academic challenges Weber faced and the obstacles he overcame in writing his first book, as well as his own extraordinarily difficult personal circumstances. An appendix presents a synopsis of the main arguments and themes of Weber's dissertation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aldenhoff, R. (1987) `Max Weber and the Evangelical-Social Congress', in W. Mommsen and J. Osterhammel (eds) Max Weber and His Contemporaries. London: Allen & Unwin , pp. 192-202.
2.
Barbalet, J. M. (2001) `Weber's Inaugural Lecture and Its Place in His Sociology' , Journal of Classical Sociology1: 147-170 .
3.
Baumgarten, E. (1964) Max Weber. Werk und Person [Work and Life]. Tübingen: Mohr .
4.
Bendix, R. (1960) Max Weber: An Intellectual Portrait. Garden City, NY: Doubleday .
5.
Berman, H. J. (1983) Law and Revolution: The Formation of the Western Legal Tradition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press .
6.
Borchardt, K. (1999) `Einleitung' [Introduction], in Max Weber, Börsenwesen. Schriften und Reden, 1893-1898 [Stock Exchange: Writings and Speeches, 1893-1898], ed. K. Borchardt in collaboration with C. Meyer-Stoll (MWG I/5). Tübingen: Mohr , pp. 1-111.
7.
Borchardt, K. (2002) `Max Weber's Writings on the Bourse: Puzzling Out a Forgotten Corpus' , Max Weber Studies2: 139-162 .
8.
Brand, A. (1982) `Against Romanticism: Max Weber and the Historical School of Law' , Australian Journal of Law and Society1: 87-100 .
9.
Breuer, S. and Treiber, H., eds (1984) Zur Rechtssoziologie Max Webers [Max Weber's Sociology of Law]. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag .
10.
Cordes, A. (1998) Spätmittelalterlicher Gesellschaftshandel im Hanseraum [Business Trade in the Area of the Hanse in the Late Middle Ages]. Cologne: Böhlau .
11.
Cordes, A. (2001) `Transfer einer Rechtsidee: Gesellschaftsrechtliche Haftungsbeschränkungen in Florenz und Nürnberg im 15. Jahrhundert' [Transfer of a Legal Notion: Limitations of Corporate Liability in Florence and Nuremberg in the Fifteenth Century], in M. Senn and C. Soliva (eds) Rechtsgeschichte und Interdisziplinarität [Legal History and Interdisciplinary Scholarship]. Frankfurt: Lang , pp. 243-254.
12.
Coser, L. A. (1977) Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in Historical and Social Context, 2nd edn. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich .
13.
Deininger, J. (1986) `Einleitung' [Introduction] and `Editorischer Bericht' [Editor's Report], in M. Weber, Die römiische Agrargeschichte in ihrer Bedeutung für das Staats- und Privatrecht [Roman Agrarian History and Its Importance for Public and Civil Law], ed. J. Deininger (MWG I/2). Tübingen: Mohr , pp. 1-89.
14.
Dibble, V. K. (1968) `Social Science and Political Commitments in the Young Max Weber' , European Journal of Sociology9: 92-110 .
15.
Elon, A. (2002) The Pity of It All: A History of Jews in Germany, 1743-1933. New York: Metropolitan .
16.
Ewing, S. (1987) `Formal Justice and the Spirit of Capitalism: Max Weber's Sociology of Law' , Law and Society Review21: 487-512 .
17.
Frommer, J. and Frommer, S. (1993) `Max Webers Krankheit - soziologische Aspekte der depressiven Struktur' [Max Weber's Illness: Sociological Aspects of Depression] , Fortschritte der Neurologie/Psychiatrie61(5): 161-171 .
18.
Gane, M. (1993) Harmless Lovers? Gender, Theory and Personal Relationships. London: Routledge .
19.
Gängel, A. and Schaumburg, M. (1989) “`Sollten noch weitere Vorschläge erforderlich sein...” Max Webers Habilitation an der Juristischen Fakultät der Berliner Universität' [Should Further Suggestions Be Necessary: Max Weber's Habilitation at the Law School of the University of Berlin] , Staat und Recht38: 332-334 .
20.
Gierke, O. (1990) Community in Historical Perspective, trans. M. Fischer. Oxford: Oxford University Press .
21.
Gilcher-Holtey, I. (1988) `Max Weber und die Frauen' [Max Weber and Women], in C. Gneuss and J. Kocka (eds) M. Weber: Ein Symposium [Max Weber: A Symposium]. Munich: dtv , pp. 142-154.
22.
Goldschmidt, L. (1891) Handbuch des Handelsrechts [Handbook of Commercial Law], Universalgeschichte des Handelsrechts [Universal History of Commercial Law], 3rd edn, Vol. 1. Stuttgart: Enke .
23.
Goldschmidt, L. (1892) System des Handelsrechts [System of Commercial Law], 4th edn. Stuttgart: Enke .
24.
Goldschmidt, L. (1898) Levin Goldschmidt: Ein Lebensbild in Briefen [Levin Goldschmidt: A Portrait of His Life in Pictures], ed. A. Goldschmidt. Berlin: E. Goldschmidt .
25.
Grossfeld, B. and Pappagiannis, I. M. (1995) `Levin Goldschmidt' , Zeitschrift für das gesamte Handelsrecht und Wirtschaftsrecht159: 529-549 .
26.
Hennis, W. (1988) Max Weber: Essays in Reconstruction, trans. K. Tribe. London: Allen & Unwin .
27.
Heuss, A. (1965) `Max Webers Bedeutung für die Geschichte des griechisch-römischen Altertums' [Max Weber's Significance for the History of Greco-Roman Antiquity] , Historische Zeitschrift201: 529-556 .
28.
Heyck, E. (1890) review of Zur Geschichte der Handelsgesellschaften im Mittelalter , by Max Weber, Historische Zeitschrift65: 299-301 .
29.
Honigsheim, P. (2000) The Unknown Max Weber, ed. A. Sica. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books .
30.
Kaelber, L. (1998) Schools of Asceticism: Ideology and Organization in Medieval Religious Organizations. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press .
31.
Kaelber, L. (2002) `Max Weber's “Protestant Ethic” in the 21st Century' , International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society16: 133-146 .
32.
Kaelber, L. (2003) `Introduction', in M. Weber, The History of Commercial Partnerships in the Middle Ages, trans., ed. and introd. L. Kaelber. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield .
33.
Kaelber, L. (forthcoming) `How Well Do We Know Max Weber After All? A New Look at Max Weber and His Anglo-American Family Connections', International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society.
34.
Kalberg, S. (1994) Max Weber's Comparative-Historical Sociology. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press .
35.
Käsler, D. (1988) Max Weber: An Introduction to His Life and Work, trans. P. Hurd. Cambridge: Polity Press .
36.
Kocka, J., ed. (1986) Max Weber, der Historiker. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht .
37.
Krüger, C. (2001) Max und Marianne Weber. Tag- und Nachtanischten einer Ehe [Bright and Dark Views of a Marriage]. Zurich: Pendlo .
38.
Krüger, D. (1987) `Max Weber and the “Younger” Generation in the Verein für Sozialpolitik', in W. J. Mommsen and J. Osterhammel (eds) Max Weber and His Contemporaries. London: Allen & Unwin , pp. 192-202.
39.
Love, J. R. (1991) Antiquity and Capitalism: Max Weber and the Sociological Foundations of Roman Civilization. London: Routledge .
40.
McCarthy, G. (2003) Classical Horizons: The Origins of Sociology in Ancient Greece. New York: State University of New York Press .
41.
Marra, R. (1992) Dalla comunità al diritto moderno: La formazione giuridica di Max Weber 1882-1889 [From Community to Modern Law: The Legal Training of Max Weber, 1892-1889]. Turin: G. Giappichelli .
42.
Menzinger, L. (1892) review of `Zur Geschichte der Handelsgesellschaften im Mittelalter' , by Max Weber, Kritische Vierteljahresschrift für Gesetzgebung und Rechtswissenschaft34: 28-29 .
43.
Mitzman, A. (1970) The Iron Cage: A Historical Interpretation of Max Weber. New York: Grossett & Dunlap .
44.
Mommsen, W. J. (1984) Max Weber and German Politics, 1890-1920, trans. M. S. Steinberg, 2nd edn. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press .
45.
Mommsen, W. J. (1989) `Editorischer Bericht' [Editor's Report], in M. Weber, Zur Russischen Revolution von 1905: Schriften und Reden, 1905-1912 [On the Russian Revolution in 1905: Writings and Speeches, 1905-1912], ed. W. J. Mommsen in collaboration with D. Dahlmann (MWG I/10). Tübingen: Mohr , pp. 71-80.
46.
Mommsen, W. J. (1993) `Einleitung' [Introduction], in Max Weber, Landarbeiterfrage, Nationalstaat und Volkswirtschaftspolitik: Schriften und Reden, 1892-1899 [The Question of the Agricultural Workers, the Nation State, and National Economic Policy: Writings and Speeches, 1892-1899], ed. W. J. Mommsen in collaboration with R. Aldenhoff (MWG I/4). Tübingen: Mohr , pp. 1-68.
47.
Pappenheim, M. (1890) review of Zur Geschichte der Handelsgesellschaften im Mittelalter , by M. Weber, Zeitschrift für das Gesamte Handelsrecht37: 255-259 .
48.
Pappenheim, M. (1898) `Levin Goldschmidt' , Zeitschrift für das Gesamte Handelsrecht47: 1-182 .
49.
Pryor, J. H. (1977) `The Origins of the Commenda Contract' , Speculum52: 5-37 .
50.
Rehbinder, M. and Tieck, K.-P., eds (1987) Max Weber als Rechtssoziologe [Max Weber as a Sociologist of Law]. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot .
51.
Riesebrodt, M. (1985) `Vom Patriarchalismus zum Kapitalismus' [From Patriarchalism to Capitalism] , Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie37: 546-567 .
52.
Roth, G. (1978) `Introduction', in M. Weber, Economy and Society, ed. G. Roth and C. Wittich. Berkeley: University of California Press , pp. xxxiii-cx.
53.
Roth, G. (1987) `Rationalization in Max Weber's Developmental History', in M. Weber, Rationality and Modernity, ed. S. Lash and S. Whimster. London: Allen & Unwin , pp. 75-91.
54.
Roth, G. (1988) `Marianne Weber and Her Circle', in M. Weber, Max Weber: A Biography, trans. H. Zohn. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction , pp. xv-lxi.
55.
Roth, G. (1993a) `Weber the Would-be Englishman: Anglophilia and Family History', in H. Lehmann and G. Roth (eds) Weber's `Protestant Ethic': Origins, Evidence, Contexts. Washington, DC: German Historical Institute , pp. 83-121.
56.
Roth, G. (1993b) `Between Cosmopolitanism and Ethnocentrism: Max Weber in the Nineties' , Telos96: 148-162 .
57.
Roth, G. (1995) `Max Weber in Erfurt, Vater und Sohn' [Max Weber in Erfurt, Father and Son] , Berliner Journal für Soziologie3: 287-299 .
58.
Roth, G. (1997) `The Young Max Weber: Anglo-American Religious Influences and Protestant Social Reform in Germany' , International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society10: 659-671 .
59.
Roth, G. (2001) Max Webers deutsch-englische Familiengeschichte, 1800-1950. Mit Briefen und Dokumenten [Max Weber's German-English Family History, 1800-1950. With Letters and Documents]. Tübingen: Mohr .
60.
Roth, G. (2002) `Max Weber: Family History, Economic Policy, Exchange Reform' , International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society15: 509-520 .
61.
Scaff, L. A. (1984a) `Weber before Weberian Sociology' , British Journal of Sociology35: 190-215 .
62.
Scaff, L. A. (1984b) `From Political Economy to Political Sociology: Max Weber's Early Writings', in R. M. Glassman and V. Murvar (eds) Max Weber's Political Sociology: A Pessimistic Version of a Rationalized World. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press , pp. 83-107.
63.
Scaff, L. A. (1989) Fleeing the Iron Cage: Culture, Politics, and Modernity in the Thought of Max Weber. Berkeley: University of California Press .
64.
Schäfer, K (1890) review of Zur Geschichte der Handelsgesellschaften im Mittelalter , by Max Weber, Literarisches Centralblatt für Deutschland4 (18 January): 111-111 .
65.
Schluchter, W. (1980) `Der autoritär verfasste Kapitalismus: Max Webers Kritik am Kaiserreich' [Authoritarian Capitalism: Max Weber's Critique of Imperial Germany], Rationalismus der Weltbeherrschung [Rationalism of World Mastery]. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp , pp. 134-169.
66.
Schmidt, K. (1993) `Levin Goldschmidt, 1829-1897', in H. Heinrichs, H. Franzki, K. Schmalz and M. Stolleis (eds) Deutsche Juristen jüdischer Herkunft [German Jewish Lawyers]. Munich: Beck , pp. 215-230.
67.
Schmoller, G. (1890) review of Zur Geschichte der Handelsgesellschaften im Mittelalter , by M. Weber, Jahrbuch für Gesetzgebung, Verwaltung und Volkswirtschaft im Deutschen Reich14: 725-726 .
68.
Sica, A. (1988) Weber, Irrationality, and Social Order. Berkeley: University of California Press .
69.
Sica, A. (2000) `Introduction: Paul Honigsheim and Max Weber's Lost Decade', in P. Honigsheim, The Unknown Max Weber, ed. A. Sica. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books , pp. ix-xxi.
70.
Silberschmidt, W. (1884) Die commenda in ihrer frühesten Entwicklung bis zum 13. Jahrhundert [The Commenda from Its Earliest Stages to the 13th Century]. Würzburg: Adalbert Stuber's Verlagshandlung .
71.
Swedberg, R. (1998) Max Weber and the Idea of Economic Sociology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press .
72.
Swedberg, R. (1999) `Introduction', in R. Swedberg (ed.) Max Weber: Essays in Economic Sociology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press , pp. 3-39.
73.
Tennstedt, F. and Leibfried, S. (1987) `Max Weber und Bremen. Die Bewerbung eines Gründers der Sozialwissenschaften als Syndikus der Handelskammer 1890' [Max Weber and Bremen. The Application of a Founder of the Social Sciences for Lawyer of the Chamber of Commerce 1890] , Wirtschaft in Bremen2 (February): 13-16 .
74.
Thöl, H. (1879) Das Handelsrecht [Commercial Law], 6th edn. Leipzig: Fues .
75.
Trakman, L. E. (1983) The Law Merchant: The Evolution of Commercial Law. Littleton, CO: Fred B. Rothman .
76.
Tribe, K. (1983) `Prussian Agriculture - German Politics: Max Weber 1892-97' , Economy and Society12: 181-226 .
77.
Trubek, D. (1972) `Max Weber on Law and the Rise of Capitalism' , Wisconsin Law Review3: 720-753 .
78.
Trubek, D. (1985) `Reconstructing Max Weber's Sociology of Law' , Stanford Law Review37: 919-936 .
79.
Turner, S. P., ed. (2000) The Cambridge Companion to Weber. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press .
80.
Turner, S. P. and Factor, R. A. (1994) The Lawyer as a Social Thinker. London: Routledge .
81.
Weber, Marianne (1988) Max Weber: A Biography, trans. H. Zohn. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction .
82.
Weber, Max (1889a) Entwickelung des Solidarhaftprinzips und des Sondervermögens der offenen Handelsgesellschaft aus den Haushalts- und Gewerbegemeinschaften in den italienischen Städten [Development of the Principle of Joint Liability and a Separate Fund of the General Partnership out of the Household Communities and Commercial Associations in Italian Cities]. Stuttgart: Kröner .
83.
Weber, M. (1889b) Zur Geschichte der Handelsgesellschaften im Mittelalter. Nach südeuropäischen Quellen [On the History of Commercial Partnerships in the Middle Ages, Based on Southern European Documents]. Stuttgart: Enke .
84.
Weber, M. (1936) Jugendbriefe. Tübingen: Mohr .
85.
Weber, M. (1975) Roscher and Knies: The Logical Problems of Historical Economics, trans. G. Oakes. New York: Free Press .
86.
Weber, M. (1984) Die Lage der Landarbeiter im ostelbischen Deutschland [Conditions of Agricultural Workers in East Elbian Germany], ed. M. Riesebrodt (MWG I/3). Tübingen: Mohr .
87.
Weber, M (1986) Die römische Agrargeschichte in ihrer Bedeutung für das Staats- und Privatrecht [Roman Agrarian History and Its Importance for Public and Civil Law], ed. J. Deininger (MWG I/2). Tübingen: Mohr .
88.
Weber, M. (1993) Landarbeiterfrage, Nationalstaat und Volkswirtschaftspolitik: Schriften und Reden, 1892-1899 [The Question of the Agricultural Workers, the Nation-State, and National Economic Policy: Writings and Speeches, 1892-1899], ed. W. J. Mommsen in collaboration with R. Aldenhoff (MWG I/4). Tübingen: Mohr .
89.
Weber, M. (1998) Briefe 1911-1912 [Letters 1911-1912], ed. M. R. Lepsius and W. J. Mommsen in collaboration with B. Rudhard and M. Schön. Tübingen: Mohr .
90.
Weber, M. (1999) Börsenwesen. Schriften und Reden, 1893-1898 [Stock Enchange: Writings and Speeches, 1893-1898], ed. K. Borchardt in collaboration with C. Meyer-Stoll (MWG I/5). Tübingen: Mohr .
91.
Weber, M. (2000a) `Stock and Commodity Exchange' , trans. S. Lestition, Theory and Society29: 305-338 .
92.
Weber, M. (2000b) `Commerce on the Stock and Commodity Exchanges' , trans. S. Lestition, Theory and Society29: 339-371 .
93.
Weber, M. (2001a) The Protestant Ethic and the `Spirit' of Capitalism and Other Writings, trans. P. Baehr and G. C. Wells. London: Penguin .
94.
Weber, M. (2001b) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, trans. S. Kalberg. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury .
95.
Weber, M. (2003) The History of Commercial Partnerships in the Middle Ages, trans., ed. and introd. L. Kaelber. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield .
96.
Weyhe, L. (1996) Levin Goldschmidt: Ein Gelehrtenleben in Deutschland [A Scholar's Life in Germany]. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot .
97.
Winckelmann, J. (1964) `Max Webers Dissertation', in R. König and J. Winckelmann (eds) Max Weber zum Gedächtnis [In Memory of Max Weber]. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag , pp. 10-12.
98.
Zingerle, A. (1981) Max Webers Historische Soziologie [Max Weber's Historical Sociology]. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
