"Maximilian Weber (1864–1920) was a German political economist and sociologist who is considered one of the founders of the modern, antipositivistic study of sociology and public administration. His major works deal with rationalisation in sociology of religion and government, but he also wrote much in the field of economics. His most recognized work is his essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, which began his work in the sociology of religion. Weber argued that religion was one of the primary reasons for the different ways the cultures of the Occident and the Orient have developed. In his...famous [essay], Politics as a Vocation [1919], Weber defined the state as an entity which possesses a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force, a definition that became pivotal to the study of modern Western political science. His theory later became widely known as Weber's Thesis." (from Wikipedia.com)

THE READER'S CATALOG (author note)
"Polymathic and enormously influential, Weber is known among other things for his analysis of modernity as a process of rationalization and disenchantment, and for his "realist" emphasis on the charismatic nature of political leadership."

"Generally known as a founder of modern social science, Max Weber (1864–1920) was concerned with politics throughout his life." (from Cambridge University Press quote)