Protestantism, capitalism, money in circulation

The main thesis of Max Weber is that there is some relationship between the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. This link is expressed by a rationalization of the socio-economic life of men.
This thesis is in fact a reply to Marx's theory, which states that the ideas, beliefs, people's ideologies are only part of the superstructure, the essential foundation and the base are crucial socio-organization economic world and the relations between classes, with one side means of production of the owners (capitalists) and on the other hand, the owners of the work force, they are forced to sell (the proletarians).
By demonstrating that `ideas' religious also influence socio-economic behavior of people, Weber wanted to prove that the base also includes ideas.

Money in circulation and capitalism
But there is one other aspect, palpable one and not in the mind, in the case of Protestantism.
For a long time, 75% of all money in circulation in Europe was in the hands of the Catholic Church (W. Manchester). What the Church has done with this money? She built many Versailles (churches); in other words a kind of Western Potlatch.
The radical change came on the continent with Protestantism and England with Henry VIII (GM Trevelyan). From these periods, entrepreneurs and merchants were able to keep a large portion of their money, which before had been confiscated by the Church. They invested in new profitable projects.
A simple example as an illustration: when in the 16th century, Antwerp was besieged by the Spanish Catholic King Philip II, all contractors and merchants' Protestants' fled the city and settled in ' Amsterdam. They have created a golden age (the beginning of pure capitalism by I. Wallerstein).

Max Weber's book is required reading for anyone interested in the history of the Western world.