Editing Max Weber (section)

===Last years===
Frustrated with politics, Weber resumed teaching, first at the [[University of Vienna]] in 1918, then at the [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]] in 1919.{{sfnm|1a1=Kim|1y=2022|2a1=Bendix|2a2=Roth|2y=1977|2p=3|3a1=Radkau|3y=2009|3pp=514, 570}} In [[Vienna]], Weber filled a previously vacant chair in political economy that he had been in consideration for since October 1917.{{sfnm|1a1=Radkau|1y=2009|1pp=491–492|2a1=Kaesler|2y=2014|2pp=761–764}} Later, in [[Munich]], he was appointed to [[Lujo Brentano]]'s chair in social science, economic history, and political economy. He accepted the appointment in order to be closer to his mistress, Else von Richthofen.{{sfnm|1a1=Radkau|1y=2009|1pp=529, 570|2a1=Kaesler|2y=2014|2pp=839–841}} Responding to student requests, he gave a series of lectures on economic history. The student transcriptions of it were later edited and published as the ''[[General Economic History]]'' by {{Interlanguage link|Siegmund Hellmann|de}} and [[Melchior Palyi]] in 1923.{{sfnm|1a1=Weber|1y=2023|1pp=ix–xi|2a1=Kaesler|2y=2014|2pp=904–906|3a1=Kim|3y=2022}} In terms of politics, he opposed the pardoning of the [[List of ministers-president of Bavaria|Bavarian Minister-President]] [[Kurt Eisner]]'s murderer, [[Anton Graf von Arco auf Valley]]. In response to that, right-wing students disrupted his classes and protested in front of his home.{{sfnm|1a1=Mommsen|1a2=Steinberg|1y=1984|1pp=327–328|2a1=Radkau|2y=2009|2pp=509–510|3a1=Kaesler|3y=2014|3pp=893–895}}

[[File:Max weber.JPG|thumb|left|Max Weber's grave in Heidelberg|alt=A photograph of Max Weber's grave]]

In early 1920, Weber gave a seminar that contained a discussion of [[Oswald Spengler]]'s ''[[The Decline of the West]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaesler|1y=2014|1pp=906–907|2a1=Spengler|2a2=Hughes|2y=1991|2pp=xv–xvi}} Weber respected him and privately described him as having been "a very brilliant and scholarly dilettante".{{sfnm|1a1=Kaesler|1y=2014|1pp=906–907|2a1=Farrenkopf|2y=1992|2p=1|3a1=Spengler|3a2=Hughes|3y=1991|3pp=xv–xvi}} That seminar provoked some of his students, who knew Spengler personally, to suggest that he debate Spengler alongside other scholars. They met in the [[New Town Hall (Munich)|Munich town hall]] and debated for two days.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaesler|1y=2014|1pp=906–907|2a1=Spengler|2a2=Hughes|2y=1991|2pp=xv–xvi|3a1=Weber|3y=1964|3pp=554–555}} The audience was primarily young Germans with different political perspectives, including [[communist]]s. While neither of them were able to convince the other of their points, Weber was more cautious and careful in his arguments against Spengler than the other debaters were. Afterwards, the students did not feel that the question of how to resolve Germany's post-war issues had been answered.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaesler|1y=2014|1pp=906–907|2a1=Farrenkopf|2y=1992|2p=1|3a1=Spengler|3a2=Hughes|3y=1991|3pp=xv–xvi}}

Lili Schäfer, one of Weber's sisters, committed suicide on 7 April 1920 after the pedagogue [[Paul Geheeb]] ended his affair with her. Weber thought positively of it, as he thought that her suicide was justified and that suicide in general could be an honourable act.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaesler|1y=2014|1pp=921–922|2a1=Radkau|2y=2009|2pp=539, 541–542}} Weber and his wife took in Lili's four children and planned to raise them. He was uncomfortable with his newfound role as a father figure, but he thought that Marianne was fulfilled as a woman by this event. She later formally adopted them in 1928. Weber wished for her to stay with the children in Heidelberg or move closer to Geheeb's {{Lang|de|[[Odenwaldschule]]}} ("Odenwald School") so that he could be alone in Munich with his mistress, [[Else von Richthofen]]. He left the decision to Marianne, but she said that only he could make the decision to leave for himself.{{sfnm|1a1=Radkau|1y=2009|1pp=542, 547–548|2a1=Kaesler|2y=2014|2pp=921–923}} While this was occurring, Weber began to believe that own life had reached its end.{{sfnm|1a1=Radkau|1y=2009|1p=544|2a1=Kaesler|2y=2014|2p=923}}

On 4 June 1920, Weber's students were informed that he had a cold and needed to cancel classes. By 14 June 1920, the cold had turned into [[influenza]] and he died of [[pneumonia]] in Munich.{{sfnm|1a1=Radkau|1y=2009|1pp=545–446|2a1=Hanke|2y=2009|2pp=349–350|3a1=Honigsheim|3y=2017|3p=239}} He had likely contracted the [[Spanish flu]] during the post-war pandemic and been subjected to insufficient medical care. Else von Richthofen, who was present by his deathbed alongside his wife, thought that he could have survived his illness if he had been given better treatment.{{sfnm|1a1=Kim|1y=2022|2a1=Radkau|2y=2009|2pp=545–546|3a1=Hanke|3y=2009|3pp=349–350}} His body was cremated in the Munich {{Lang|de|[[Ostfriedhof (Munich)|Ostfriedhof]]}} after a secular ceremony, and the urn that contained his ashes was later buried in the Heidelberg ''{{Interlanguage link|Bergfriedhof|de|Bergfriedhof (Heidelberg)}}'' in 1921. The funeral service was attended by his students, including {{Interlanguage link|Eduard Baumgarten|de}} and [[Karl Loewenstein]], and fellow scholars, such as Lujo Brentano.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaesler|1y=2014|1pp=16–19|2a1=Radkau|2y=2009|2pp=549–550|3a1=Hanke|3y=2009|3pp=349–350}} At the time of his death, Weber had not finished writing ''[[Economy and Society]]'', his {{Lang|la|magnum opus}} on sociological theory. His widow, Marianne, helped prepare it for its publication in 1922.{{sfnm|1a1=Roth|1y=2016|1pp=250–253|2a1=Whimster|2y=2023|2p=82|3a1=Hanke|3y=2009|3pp=349–350}} She later published a biography of her late husband in 1926 which became one of the central historical accounts of his life.{{sfnm|1a1=Hanke|1y=2009|1pp=355–357|2a1=Radkau|2y=2009|2pp=178|3a1=Kaesler|3y=2014|3p=40}}