Franz Oppenheimer (born 30 March 1864 in Berlin; died 30 September 1943 in Los Angeles) was a German sociologist and political economist, who also in the area of the fundamental sociology of the state.

Personal life

After his study of medicine in Freiburg and Berlin, Oppenheimer was practiced as a physician in Berlin from 1886 to 1895. From 1890 onwards, he began to concern himself with sociopolitical questions and social economics. After his activity as a physician, he was editor-in-chief of the magazine Welt am Morgen, where he became acquainted with Friedrich Naumann, who was, at the time, working door-to-door for different daily papers.

In 1909, Oppenheimer earned a Ph.D. in Kiel with a thesis about economist David Ricardo. From 1909 to 1917, Oppenheimer was Privatdozent in Berlin, then for two years Titularprofessor. In 1919, he accepted a call to serve as Chair for Sociology and Theoretical Political Economy at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main. This was the first chair in dedicated to sociology in Germany, and the only such chair prior to 1929.

From 1934 to 1935, Oppenheimer taught in Palestine. In 1936 he was appointed an honourary member of the American Sociological Association. From 1938 onwards, he taught at the University of Kobe in Japan. After he emigrated to the United States (1942), he became a founding member of the American Journal of Economics and Sociology .

Ideas

Ludwig Erhard studied economics with Franz Oppenheimer and was strongly influenced by Oppenheimer's ideas of "liberal socialist" economic policy that attempted to steer a middle path between socialism and liberalism. Albert Jay Nock, although a vocal critic of socialism, was deepy influenced by Oppenheimer's analysis of the fundamental nature of the state.

Writings

Franz Oppenheimer created an extensive oeuvre, consisting of approximately 40 books and 400 essays, containing writings on sociology, economics, and the political questions of his time.

External links

Works

• A First Program for Zionist Colonization. (1903)
• The State. (1914/1922)
• The Idolatry of the State. (1927)
• History and Sociology. (1927)
• TENDENCIES IN RECENT GERMAN SOCIOLOGY (Sociological Review, Vol. 24, 1932)
• A Post-Mortem on Cambridge Economics. (1943)

Other

• Directory of Oppenheimer related links
• History of the Institute of Social Research

See also

• Political sociology
• Economic sociology
• Political economy