1855-1936. German social theorist and
philosopher, one of the founders of the
sociological tradition of community studies
and urban sociology through his key work,
Gemeinschaft-Gesellschaft 1887. Tonnies
contrasted the nature of social relationships
in traditional societies and small
organizations (Gemeinschaft, `community')
with those in industrial societies and large
organizations (Gesellschaft, `association').
He was pessimistic about the effect of
industrialization and urbanization on the
social and moral order, seeing them as a
threat to traditional society's sense of
community.