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Weber Revisited: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Nationalism

Author

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  • Kersting, Felix
  • Wohnsiedler, Iris
  • Wolf, Nikolaus

Abstract

We revisit Max Weber’s hypothesis on the role of Protestantism for economic development. We show that nationalism is crucial to both, the interpretation of Weber’s Protestant Ethic and empirical tests thereof. For late nineteenth-century century Prussia we reject Weber’s suggestion that Protestantism mattered due to an “ascetic compulsion to save.” Moreover, we find that income levels, savings, and literacy rates differed between Germans and Poles, not between Protestants and Catholics, using pooled OLS and IV regressions. We suggest that this result is due to anti-Polish discrimination.

Suggested Citation

  • Kersting, Felix & Wohnsiedler, Iris & Wolf, Nikolaus, 2020. "Weber Revisited: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Nationalism," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 80(3), pages 710-745, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:80:y:2020:i:3:p:710-745_3
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    Cited by:

    1. Sascha O. Becker & Amma Panin & Steven J. Pfaff & Jared Rubin, 2025. "Religion and Economic Development: Past, Present, and Future," Working Papers 25-01, Chapman University, Economic Science Institute.
    2. Sascha O. Becker & Jared Rubin & Ludger Woessmann, 2024. "Religion and Growth," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 62(3), pages 1094-1142, September.
    3. Timothy W. Guinnane & Jochen Streb, 2021. "The Introduction of Bismarck's Social Security System and its Effects on Marriage and Fertility in Prussia," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(3), pages 749-780, September.
    4. Mohammad Tariq Al Fozaie, 2023. "Behavior, religion, and socio-economic development: a synthesized theoretical framework," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Sascha O. BECKER & Francesco CINNIRELLA, 2020. "Prussia Disaggregated: The Demography of its Universe of Localities in 1871," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 86(3), pages 259-290, September.
    6. Guinnane, T. W. & Hoffman, P., 2022. "Persistence and Historical Evidence: The Example of the Rise of the Nazi Party," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2271, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    7. Huning, Thilo R. & Wahl, Fabian, 2021. "The fetters of inheritance? Equal partition and regional economic development," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    8. Felix S. F. Schaff, 2025. "The unequal spirit of the Protestant Reformation: particularism and wealth distribution in early modern Germany," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 417-460, September.
    9. Felix S.F. Schaff, 2023. "The Unequal Spirit of the Protestant Reformation: Particularism and Wealth Distribution in Early Modern Germany," Working Papers 0239, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    10. Tommy Krieger, 2024. "Elites and health infrastructure improvements in industrializing regimes," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 433-468, September.
    11. Damian Clarke & Manuel Llorca Jaña & Daniel Pailañir, 2023. "The use of quantile methods in economic history," Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(2), pages 115-132, April.
    12. Felix Kersting, 2023. "The political economy of social identity in 19th century Germany," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 27(4), pages 635-637.
    13. Vladim'ir Hol'y & Tom'av{s} Evan, 2021. "The Role of a Nation's Culture in the Country's Governance: Stochastic Frontier Analysis," Papers 2102.05411, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2021.
    14. Kukic, Leonard & Arslantas, Yasin, 2022. "Religious change and persistence in Bosnia: Poverty, conversions, and nationalism, 1468-2013," IFCS - Working Papers in Economic History.WH 35286, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto Figuerola.
    15. Seung-hun Chung & Mark D. Partridge, 2024. "Impact of Religion on Regional Economic Development: Evidence From 19th Century Prussia," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 47(3), pages 325-377, May.
    16. Zhao, Qiyi C., 2023. "Rethinking “Distance From”: Lessons from Wittenberg and Mainz," MPRA Paper 118414, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Vladimír Holý & Tomáš Evan, 2022. "The role of a nation’s culture in the country’s governance: Stochastic frontier analysis," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 30(2), pages 507-520, June.
    18. Wang, Ting & Zhang, Yi & Liu, Chun, 2024. "Robot adoption and employment adjustment: Firm-level evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    19. Kersting, Felix & Wohnsiedler, Iris & Wolf, Nikolaus, 2020. "Weber Revisited: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Nationalism," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 80(3), pages 710-745, September.
    20. Palma, Nuno & Reis, Jaime & Rodrigues, Lisbeth, 2023. "Historical gender discrimination does not explain comparative Western European development: evidence from Portugal, 1300-1900," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    21. Broadberry, Stephen & Lennard, Jason, 2024. "European business cycles and economic growth, 1300–2000," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    22. Gutiérrez, José Manuel, 2023. "Census-based comparability of data on literacy processes in Western Europe," MPRA Paper 119319, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    23. Gutiérrez, José Manuel, 2023. "Confessional intensity: a Spanish example with application to the literacy process," MPRA Paper 118539, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N13 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N33 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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