Retrospective approaches to the study on social institution of entrepreneurship in western and domestic historiography

This article is devoted to, according to the author, the fundamental ideas about the essence and the main characteristics of the entrepreneurship phenomenon in the history of social, philosophical and sociological theories. It traces the evolution of the business world from antiquity to our time. The study describes the main types of entrepreneurs of each historical era. The author specifies the difference in the institution of entrepreneurship in Western and Russian culture, including its relationship with the church.