9 0 5 , ▁and ▁was ▁translated ▁into ▁English ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁time ▁by ▁American ▁soci ologist ▁Tal c ott ▁Par s ons ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 0 . ▁It ▁is ▁considered ▁a ▁found ing ▁text ▁in ▁economic ▁soci ology ▁and ▁a ▁mil estone ▁contribution ▁to ▁soci ological ▁thought ▁in ▁general . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁book , ▁We ber ▁wrote ▁that ▁capital ism ▁in ▁Northern ▁Europe ▁evol ved ▁when ▁the ▁Protest ant ▁( part icular ly ▁Cal vin ist ) ▁eth ic ▁influenced ▁large ▁numbers ▁of ▁people ▁to ▁eng age ▁in ▁work ▁in ▁the ▁sec ular ▁world , ▁developing ▁their ▁own ▁enter pr ises ▁and ▁eng aging ▁in ▁trade ▁and ▁the ▁accum ulation ▁of ▁wealth ▁for ▁invest ment . ▁In ▁other ▁words , ▁the ▁Protest ant ▁work ▁eth ic ▁was ▁an ▁important ▁force ▁behind ▁the ▁un pl anned ▁and ▁un co ordin ated ▁emer gence ▁of ▁modern ▁capital ism . ▁In ▁his ▁book , ▁apart ▁from ▁Cal vin ists , ▁We ber ▁also ▁discuss es ▁Luther ans ▁( es pecially ▁Piet ists , ▁but ▁also ▁notes ▁differences ▁between ▁traditional ▁Luther ans ▁and ▁Cal vin ists ), ▁Method ists , ▁Bapt ists , ▁Qu akers , ▁and ▁Mor av ians ▁( specific ally ▁referring ▁to ▁the ▁Herr n h ut - based ▁community ▁under ▁Count ▁von ▁Z in z endorf ' s ▁spiritual ▁lead ). ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 8 , ▁the ▁International ▁Soci ological ▁Association ▁listed ▁this ▁work ▁as ▁the ▁fourth ▁most ▁important ▁soci ological ▁book ▁of ▁the ▁ 2