ABSTRACT
Max Weber is widely regarded as one of the founders of the field of sociology. "Politics as a Vocation" developed out of a lecture Weber gave at the University of Munich in January 1919. It was published as an extended version that July, a year before his death. The essay "Politics as a Vocation" is both a reflection on the political crisis in Germany at the time it was published in 1919, and a more general statement about the nature of modern mass politics and the modern administrative state. "Politics as a Vocation" was a pioneering text in both political science and, to a lesser extent, sociology. Weber outlines his views on how politicians should act in relation to the state of affairs in Germany at the time. Instead of proposing concrete solutions, he looks at the fundamental features of modern politics, arguing that the country needed to balance its strong state with mature political leadership.
