Gustav von Schmoller
German economist (1838–1917)
Gustav Friedrich (after 1908: von) Schmoller (German: [ˈʃmɔlɐ] ; 24 June 1838 – 27 June 1917) was the leader of the "younger" German historical school of economics.
He was a leading Sozialpolitiker (more derisively, Kathedersozialist, "Socialist of the Chair"), and a founder and long-time chairman of the Verein für Socialpolitik, the German Economic Association, which continues to exist.
The appellation "Kathedersozialist" was given to Schmoller and other members of the Verein by their enemies. Schmoller disavowed the "socialist" label, instead tracing his thought to the heterodox liberalism represented by Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui, Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi, John Stuart Mill, Johann Heinrich von Thünen, Bruno Hildebrand, Thomas Edward Cliffe Leslie, Lorenz von Stein, and Émile de Laveleye and radicals such as Frederic Harrison and Edward Spencer Beesly. His goal was to reconcile the Prussian monarchy and bureaucracy "with the idea of the Liberal state and complemented by the best elements of parliamentarianism" to carry out social reform.
Life
Schmoller was born in Heilbronn. His father was a Württemberg civil servant. Young Schmoller studied Kameralwissenschaft (a combination of economics, law, history, and civil administration) at the University of Tübingen (1857–1861). In 1861, he obtained an appointment at the Württemberg Statistical Department. During his academic career, he held appointments as a professor at the universities of Halle (1864–72), Strasbourg (1872–1882), and Berlin (1882–1913).
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q62833. VIAF identifies the subject as 17346852. The Library of Congress control number is n87873094. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1908, 1838, 1917 and 1857.
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