In his last political writings, Weber engaged in intense debate around the challenges that Germany faced at that particular historical moment. Focusing on the end of the Second Empire and the first steps taken by the Weimar Republic, the author examined the preference for a parliamentary model of democracy over its plebiscitary variety. The present paper revisits this discussion up and seeks to situate it within the context of the political evolution of Weber's thought. At the same time, it seeks to reconstruct Weber's argument, highlighting the role that the theme of institutions, democracy and rationality play in his evaluation of parliamentary and plebiscitary models of democracy. Finally, we return to the earlier issues to suggest a theoretical agenda that demonstrates the possibilities and current relevance of the problems contained in the political sociology that emerges from Weber's political-conjunctural writings.
Max Weber; democracy; parliamentarism; presidentialism; institutions; rationality