Oof, well done, this essay should be nailed to every university door in Heidelberg.

In relation to the birth of capitalism, Piketty’s recent 2020 book has him explicitly showing in what sense Marx’s account of “primitive accumulation” is better in explaining initial capital accumulation than Weber’s cultural and religious factors and Braudel’s emphasis on the role of high finance. (Chapter 9 of Capital and Ideology, footnote at beginning of section on “Protectionism and Mercantilism”). Much recommended book.