Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

work by Tawney

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Richard Henry Tawney's Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (1926) explores the connection between religious beliefs and the development of capitalism. Tawney argued that the individualism and the ethic of hard work and thrift found in Calvinist Protestantism were crucial in fostering industrial organization and an efficient workforce in northern Europe.12

While agreeing with Max Weber's earlier work on the subject, Tawney expanded upon it. He suggested that political and social pressures, along with an ethic of self-help and frugality, played a significant role in the rise of capitalism, perhaps even more so than Calvinist theology alone. Tawney was an influential English economic historian and social critic known for his work on England's economic history from 1540 to 1640.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Protestant ethic
…he expanded it in his Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (1926) by arguing that political and social pressures and the spirit of individualism with its ethic of self-help and frugality were more significant factors in the development of capitalism than was Calvinist theology.
Read More
…he expanded it in his Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (1926) by arguing that political and social pressures and the spirit of individualism with its ethic of self-help and frugality were more significant factors in the development of capitalism than was Calvinist theology.
Read More

Richard Henry Tawney
…has also become a classic: Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (1926). It argued that it was the individualism and the ethic of hard work and thrift of Calvinist Protestantism that had fostered industrial organization and an efficient workforce in northern Europe. He thus shifted and extended the emphasis of…
Read More
…has also become a classic: Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (1926). It argued that it was the individualism and the ethic of hard work and thrift of Calvinist Protestantism that had fostered industrial organization and an efficient workforce in northern Europe. He thus shifted and extended the emphasis of…
Read More