Ferdinand Tönnies

Ferdinand Tönnies was a German sociologist, economist, and philosopher. He was a major contributor to sociological theory and field studies, best known for his distinction between two types of social groups, Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. He co-founded the German Society for Sociology together with Max Weber and Georg Simmel and many other founders. He was president of the society from 1909 to 1933, after which he was ousted for having criticized the Nazis. Tönnies was considered the first German sociologist proper, published over 900 works and contributed to many areas of sociology and philosophy. Tönnies, Max Weber, and Georg Simmel are considered to be the founding fathers of classical German sociology. Though there has been a resurgence of interest Weber and Simmel, Tönnies has not drawn as much attention.