Although the character, course, and consequences of Calvinism have long been the subject of controversy, there is no doubt that the Calvinist movement left an enduring stamp on Europe, North America, and the rest of western civilization. This book brings together the work of fourteen eminent historians who reexamine the ways in which Calvinism affected--and was affected by--the various societies in which it took root. The volume features a survey of Calvin's life and work, three essays on France and the great diaspora of the Huguenots after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, and seven papers on other European nations and North America. A concluding essay offers a stimulating discussion of the relationship between Calvinism and capitalism.