Walter Euckens Weg zum Liberalismus (1918-1934) / Walter Eucken’s way to liberalism (1918-1934)

In the current debate about the program of Freiburg School increasing attention is paid to Walter Eucken’s life and the origins of his work. Despite of all efforts to clarify these origins, Eucken’s way to liberal economic and political views is still almost unknown. To show Eucken’s development from the early conservative biographical and intellectual environment to liberal positions this contribution presents and analyzes new material on Walter Eucken from his literary estate and from the literary estates of his father Rudolf Eucken and of Alexander Rüstow. After an introduction (I) with a review about the literature on Eucken we analyze Eucken’s political an economic views during World War I and the first years of Weimar Republic (II). In (III) we give an overview of Eucken’s contributions to the philosophical, ideological, political and economic debates of the Weimar Republic (1922-1931). In the next chapter (IV) we analyze some of Eucken’s papers from 1932. In these papers Eucken opposes totalitarian right-wing ideologies and defends liberal economic and political positions. Then (V) we present and analyze some examples of Eucken’s liberal opposition against the Nazi-ideology in 1933/34.