Bringing Schmoller to America: Notes on the Translation of “The Idea of Justice in Political Economy”

We examine the historical background of the translation and subsequent publication of Gustav Schmoller’s “The Idea of Justice in Political Economy” in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. The first of Schmoller’s writings which was translated into English, we use archival correspondence - predominantly between one of the translators, Ernst von Halle, and Schmoller - to reconstruct the proceedings leading to its appearance in February 1894. In a further step, we highlight the role that the British economic historian William J. Ashley played in contributing to additional translations of Schmoller’s work. Finally, we engage in the debate as to why comparatively little of Schmoller’s work has been translated into English and suggest that in addition to historical dynamics related to World War I leading to the breakdown of ties between Germany and America, there were also very personal reasons - especially for both von Halle and Ashley - not to work together with the American Academy of Political and Social Science.