Ludwig Joseph (Lujo) Brentano, 1844-1931

 Portrait of Lujo Brentano

A professor at Vienna, Leipzig and Munich, Lujo Brentano was perhaps the most liberal and theory-friendly of the German Historical School.  His own research was on European guilds and trade unions.  He not only produced an overwhelming amount of exceptional historical work, but also extended it to policy conclusions, arguing that trade unions and other labor organizations could do very well by themselves without State assistance.  He explored how the essential glue of the economic units -- fraternity -- however, was came apart over time with the development of capitalism.

Brentano was a founder of the Vereins für Socialpolitik with Gustav Schmoller and Adolph Wagner.  He vigorously disputed Weber's thesis on the link between Calvinism and capitalism and got into a brief confrontation with Marx.  Brentano was one of the leaders of the world pacifist movement and the brother of the philosopher Franz Brentano. 

Major Works of Lujo Brentano

Resources on Lujo Brentano


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