Werner Sombart (; ; 19 January 1863 – 18 May 1941) was a German economist, historian and sociologist. Head of the "Youngest Historical School," he was one of the leading Continental European social scientists during the first quarter of the 20th century. The term late capitalism is accredited to him. The concept of creative destruction associated with capitalism is also of his coinage. His ''magnum opus'' was ''Der moderne Kapitalismus''. It was published in 3 volumes from 1902 through 1927. In ''Kapitalismus'' he described four stages in the development of capitalism from its earliest iteration as it evolved out of feudalism, which he called proto-capitalism to early, high and, finally, late capitalism —''Spätkapitalismus''— in the post World War I period.
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