La città «primo motore»?

Risposta a Pellicani

Towns as a Driving-Force?

In principle, Pellicani refutes single-factor explanations for the development of capitalism. In practice, however, he ends up by producing a new single-factor explanation centred round the autonomy of politics and the decisive role of towns. It would be advisable to stress other factors and avoid overlooking the role of ideas. More precisely, the connexion Weber established between the spirit of capitalism and Calvinism may still be defended. Albeit indirectly, Calvinism helped to form the ethic of saving aimed at business investment which, in turn, brought about, in Marx's words, the formation of the 'original accumulation'.