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This volume presents the German text of Talcott Parsons´ doctoral dissertation draft, written in German and now translated into English. This work reflects Parsons´ strong interest in societal explanations of capitalism, which he found in the works of Werner Sombart and Max Weber during his study years in Heidelberg. For Parsons, studying the "spirit of capitalism" in the late 1920s meant the beginning of a long career in sociology. In their introductory texts the translators offer an insight into the historical context in which this work had been written.

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