The Relations of Rural Community to Other Branches of Social Sciences

This publication is the translation of the speech "The Relations of the Rural Community to Other Branches of Social Sciences" given by Max Weber at the International Congress of Arts and Science in St. Louis (Missouri, USA) in September, 1904. In this speech, Weber examines several prevailing themes that are characteristic for his understanding of modernity. The first of them - the narrowest one - is related to the transformation of the agrarian sector of Germany, and the significance of the "agrarian question" for the historical destinies of the German nation in the context of differences between the east, west, and south regions of the country. The second important topic of the speech is the analysis of the general dynamics in the formation and development of modernity in Europe against the backdrop of the confrontation between two structural principles, defined by Weber as "tradition" and "capitalism". Finally, the third prevailing topic covered in the speech is a comparative analysis of European and American modernity, substantiated by the German classic in the shape of comparative historical sociology.