The Protestant Reformation was a major movement in 16th-century Europe initially aimed at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church's religious ambitions were complemented by motivated political leaders who wanted to expand their power and control at the expense of the Church, leading select groups to break away from Catholicism. More than just an era of religious divergence, the Reformation has been recognized as an era of evolution in societal ideology, particularly in economics. With the development of technologies such as printing, ideas spread quickly across Europe. Sociologist Max Weber noted that a new, more rational type of capitalism emerged from this movement. This version of the 16th century ideology of capitalism has developed and evolved to form 21st century perceptions of modern capitalism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayJohn Calvin and Martin Luther were two men who largely encouraged religious diversion from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. Thanks to printing technology, their ideas were able to travel widely and inspire others to put aside their Catholic ideals in favor of a new form of religion. In particular, regarding Calvinism, John Calvin and his new religion sought to rationalize human conduct to save their souls, instead of the Catholic method of sinning, repenting with a priest, doing good works and to repeat the cycle throughout his life. Calvinism believed that by limiting individual want and living in moderation, humans could save their souls. Through what Max Weber describes in his work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Calvinists acted according to a moral discipline or "worldly aestheticism" that required allowing them to pursue their divine calling in a certain field of work . A key figure in the history of sociology, Max Weber reflected on the effect of the Reformation on capitalism and its relationship to religious changes occurring in the 16th century with Protestant Calvinism. Weber believed that the new forms of capitalist success of the 1500s were due to the religious ethos of the Calvinist community. Weber recognized Calvinism as self-discipline. He concluded that the God of Calvinism imposed on his followers a life of perpetual good works, combined into a unified system. The spirit of Calvinism refers to a set of values, or philosophy, particularly in hard work and continuous progress. According to the religious ethos, one does not care about materialistic things, such as wealth and possessions, but by devoting oneself to hard work through work of spiritual calling, a byproduct of economic gain is possible. This byproduct, however, was only unintentional gain through religious devotion. Weber quotes Benjamin Franklin, who said: “Do you see a man diligent in his affairs? He will stand before kings.3" In this sense, making money in the modern economic order is the result of the expression of individual virtue and vocation, which Weber believed were the basis of the beginning of modern capitalist culture. Weber's article is not without its flaws. I wonder why he focused on Protestantism as the only guiding religion that had the moral ethos necessary to direct the capitalist process as a byproduct of his beliefs. There were surely other religious and social groups who found themselves in capitalist situations and adopted practicessimilar to those of the Protestants. For example, the Jewish faith, mentioned by Weber, but ultimately ignored and discredited despite the religious group's economic progress in society. Furthermore, Weber does not seem to attribute the evolution of this new type of capitalism to anything other than religion. There must be other factors contributing to the development of a new form of capitalism, such as new technologies. As the introduction of machines came with faster production of clothing and other technical feats, one might speculate that more confusing variables, other than religion, could explain why capitalism was able to grow and change its role in society. HR Trevor-Roper wrote an article that responded to Weber's ideas on the relationship between the Protestant Reformation and capitalism, and he found similar issues with the ones I mentioned above. He did, however, recognize the validity of some of the observations made by Weber. Trevor-Roper established that Weber was not claiming that capitalism did not exist before the Reformation, but rather that he was talking about a new form of capitalism, created by moral discipline and not greed. He also recognized that in some cases the Reformation represented the main factor in the formation of modern capitalism, compared to the social climate of the 16th century. Trevor-Roper also pointed out that Weber's theory was, in some sense, far-fetched due to its highly generalizable nature. Trevor-Roper argued that there are many other factors attributed to capitalist entrepreneurs aside from religious affiliation. He claimed that capitalism was the result of social change that occurred in the 16th century. At that time, people did not want the Church to become too expensive and impose taxes on the people, which would harm economic trade. As a result, they fled to other countries and there we are witnessing the development of a new capitalism. Additionally, there have been cases where Weber's theory of Calvinists has not been successful. They have not always performed better than other countries in terms of economic gains. He cites the example of Calvinist Scotland, with large coal deposits, which has not recorded better economic development than England, dominated by an Anglican system. He discovered that Arminian Amsterdam represented the central space for the manifestation of the energies that created the economic boom in the United States, while another province, Calvinist Gelderland, was dominated by a social class that he found that she was an enemy of progress.8 Additionally, he noted that Calvinist businessmen did not always prescribe "worldly aesthetics." Some men increased their wealth beyond their simple religious philosophy and lived abundant lives. There are many similarities between the way capitalism was viewed in the 16th century and today. There is a resemblance between the relationship of Reformation religious government and today's secular government to capitalism. Today, capitalism is strongly linked to a nationalist identity, and national pride is found in the “American work ethic.” During the Reformation era, capitalism had similar connections, but Weber, speaking to a religious authority figure, referred to these connections as the “Calvinist work ethic.” The way Weber describes these perceptions of capitalism in the 16th century strongly resembles the way capitalism is perceived. in the United States, one of the most capitalist economies. Weber says: "...when the social position of the Christian depended on his admission to communion, the clergy, through their ministry, the discipline of the Church and their preaching, exercised,.