  Defenders of methodological individualism generally claim that it is an innocent doctrine, devoid of any political or ideological content. Weber himself cautioned that “it is a tremendous misunderstanding to think that an ‘individualistic’ method should involve what is in any conceivable sense an individualistic system of values” (Weber 1922: 18). Nevertheless, the doctrine of methodological individualism became embroiled in a number of highly politicized debates during the 20th century, largely because it was often invoked as a way of discrediting historical materialism.  There were two distinct rounds of controversy on this score. The first occurred primarily during the 1950s, in response to the work of Friedrich von Hayek and Karl Popper. The second round occurred during the 1980s, in response to Jon Elster, this time as part of critical debates within the movement known as “analytical Marxism.” During the latter period, methodological individualism became widely associated with what many called “rational choice imperialism.”