CHARACTERISTICS OF STATE AND LEGAL INDICATORS OF THE RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION ERA IN THE SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE OF JACOB BURKHARDT (1818–1897) AN D MAX WEBER (1864–1920)

Abstract

The presented article is devoted to the analysis of state-legal indicators of the Renaissance and Reformation in the scientific legacy of Jacob Burkhardt (1818–1897). It is noted that when characterizing the Renaissance era, the Swiss researcher started from the concept of the state “as a work of art” proposed by him. The state-legal indicators of the Renaissance imposed a significant influence on the concept of the state system, reflecting the ideological ideals of the Renaissance. The author of the article states that the assessment by Swiss scholars of the state-legal structure of the Renaissance and Reformation eras is not contradictory, but complementary in nature. Thus, the Reformation era led to the establishment of state control over the church. According to Burckhardt, this process reflected the fact of establishing the «omnipotence» of the state. The author of the article states that the analysis of the author’s evaluations by Ya. Burkhardt has significant cognitive potential when studying the main stages of the development of political and legal thought of the early modern period and is of interest to modern Ukrainian historiography. The characterization of the state and legal indicators of the Renaissance and Reformation by Jacob Burckhardt shows that he gives preference in historical terms to the indicators and ideas of the Renaissance. Moreover, the beginning of the Reformation in Germany made it impossible for the ideas of the Renaissance to penetrate the German territories. Germany, which was culturally, perhaps from Burckhardt’s point of view, at the highest point of its development, found itself thrown back several steps. Such an assessment of the Reformation by the Swiss scientist allows, for example, to see the differences between his views and the views on the political, legal, cultural significance of the Reformation in the scientific works of the German sociologist, philosopher, author of the cult work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” by Max Weber (1864–1920). Thus, we see that for Weber, the Reformation initiated the process of “disenchanting” the world, became the starting point and prerequisite for the formation of capitalism. Nevertheless, Jakob Burckhardt’s views on the Renaissance and the Reformation are not contradictory, but complementary in nature. On the contrary, the system of historiographic evaluations of the Reformation laid down in Max Weber’s cult work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” has a more irrevocable character. The latter, of course, can only encourage further scientific attention to the scientific legacy of Jacob Burkhadt from the point of view of continuing his study within the framework of modern Ukrainian historiography.