Sombart, Werner

( January 19, 1863, Ermsleben – May 18, 1941, Berlin), German economist and sociologist. In the first third of the 20th century Sombart was the best known German social scientist. As a pupil of Gustav Schmoller, he came from the historical school of political economy. He was one of the founders of sociology in Germany, and made an important contribution to it in his major work Der moderen Kapitalismus (Modern Capitalism, 1902). In the 1890s he was still suspected as a sympathizer with the Marxist workers’ movement. He came to prominence as an advocat…