Introduction

Max Weber published the first installment of the “Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” in 1904 and by then he was 40 years old. While it was primarily this work that made Weber famous, he was already a well- known and well- respected figure. It was neither because of his work on modern capitalism nor on his writings on the importance of rationalism; rather, it was because of his work on agrarian history. He began the last decade of the nineteenth century as a jurist, but he ended it as one of the leading authorities on Germany's agrarian history (Aldenhoff- Hübinger, 2008: 1– 2). While Weber was interested in agricultural history, he was more concerned with what was referred to as the “agrarian crisis” (Riesebrodt, 1984a: 15). This topic may seem to be of limited interest, but it should not be regarded as such. Instead, Weber's work on the agrarian crisis is important for several reasons: first, it was during this period that Germany was undergoing considerable economic, political and social changes. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Germany was undergoing a massive transformation in the agricultural regions. The introduction of machinery and other improvements in farming meant that the need for agrarian workers was being fundamentally altered. Many people left the land and many others were replaced by seasonal workers. The old patriarchal society was being supplanted by a modern industrial economy. In addition, Germany was moving from being a major exporter of grain to a major importer – North America and Russia were undercutting the German prices, prompting a further rethinking of Germany's role in the world. While many people were well aware of these changes, Weber was one of the most acute observers of them (Tribe, 1989c: 85). Second, Weber was one of the best of the best political minds so he was well positioned to formulate political and social solutions to Germany's problems. Third, while the agrarian crisis affected Germany at the end of the nineteenth century, many of its causes can be attributed to the tendency of human beings to act in certain ways; thus, Weber's account of the agrarian crisis and his various solutions to it are not only of historical interest. As with much of Weber's work, his writings on the agrarian crisis continue to have current relevance.