The Sociology of Nazi Germany

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the life and works of Karl Marx and Max Weber, highlighting their contributions to sociology. The paper describes the similarities and differences in the philosophy of each man and hypothesizes regarding what they would have thought about Nazi Germany. The paper contends that both the thinkers felt that the key to understanding human nature was that of understanding human actions and these actions were based on social and structural changes. This may explain their feelings on Nazi Germany and the atrocities committed by Hitler, where his actions can only be understood as a part of the social and structural changes of himself as an individual, as well as of himself as he belongs to a society.

From the Paper:

"Max Weber, born in 1864, is one of the best-known and most popular scholars of 'sociology', as well as of 'economic work'. One of his best contributions to the cause of economics as well as to sociology is his work entitled "Vertstehen" or what is also known as the theory of 'Interpretative Sociology' and his thinking on 'positivism'. Weber's theory of Verstehen is often seen as being very controversial and questionable. His view is that any research that is connected to history or sociology or economics must be approached with a particular idea or concept, or what is called a 'conceptual apparatus'. This apparatus was referred to be Weber as the 'ideal type', meaning that when an individual needs to understand or comprehend a particular sociological phenomenon, the various 'actions' of the different participants of the phenomena, and not stop at merely describing the phenomenon in itself. (Max Weber, 1864-1920) "

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