Religion and the Rise of Capitalism · Character
Calvinism
The urban, trade-facing theology that broke with medieval suspicion of profit and taught merchants their diligence was a calling, not a sin.
supporting
Also known as Calvinism
First appearance: religion and the rise of capitalism
As a supporting figure in Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, Calvinism is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Treated as a movement and a creed; its international character, revolutionary path, and influence on social ethics and economic thought are discussed.
Calvinism emerges in Tawney's pages as a movement headquartered in Geneva and rooted in the commercial cities of Antwerp, London, and Amsterdam, addressing itself primarily to traders and industrialists. Unlike Luther's peasant mysticism, it accepted capital, credit, and banking as facts of life, placing the merchant's profits on the same respectable footing as the laborer's wages. Its tension lies in moralizing a commercial civilization it had already conceded was legitimate, and its early rigor would later dissolve into the very economic individualism it once sought to discipline.
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Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of the medieva…
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Calvinism appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
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See Calvinism in religion and the rise of capitalism