Who Was Max Weber?

Max Weber (1864-1920) was a very prominent social scientist and sociologist in Germany. He is often credited with establishing sociology as an independent academic discipline. Weber's main interests included the role and interplay of religion, law, power and class. Weber argued in one of his most well-known theories that an individual's societal status depended on two things: knowledge and financial strength.

Weber was adamant that the role of sociologists was not only to study and record what they saw in society, but  to actually examine, analyze and explain various forms of human behaviour. Weber very much felt that the sociologist had a key role to play in society.

Weber taught and conducted research at the University of Berlin, Freiburg University, the University of Munich and the University of Vienna. He also played a political role in the establishment of the Weimar Republic and the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.