THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM: CRITICS OF THE WEBER THESIS IN THE YEARS 1930–1960.

The article describes and analyzes critical arguments aimed at falsifi cation of the famous hypothesis of M. Weber about the possible infl uence of Protestant ethics on the development of western capitalism. The key theses of the second generation of critics (dated 1930–1960) are presented in the paper. All the main counterarguments to this hypothesis were formulated during this period. The paper also indicates the main points of weberian argument due to which the supporters of the theory still manage to advocate the hypothesis.