RODBERTUS, KARL JOHANN German socialist, was born at Griefswald on Aug. 12, 1805, where his father was professor at the university. He studied law at Got tingen and Berlin, was employed in legal offices in Prussia, and, after travelling for some time, bought the estate of Jagetzow in Pomerania (whence his name of Rodbertus-Jagetzow), and settled there in 1836. Henceforward he devoted himself chiefly to eco nomic studies and to local and provincial affairs. In 1847 he was elected a member of the provincial diet, and in the following year he supported German unity and advocated the independence of the popular assembly. As a member of the Prussian national assembly in 1848, he was made Minister of public worship and education, and he sat for Berlin in the second chamber of He died on Dec. 8, 1875.
The general position of Rodbertus was "social, monarchical and national." He held the purely economic part of the creed of the German social-democratic party, but disagreed with their methods, and with those of the Arbeiterverein which he refused to join. While regarding the establishment of a socialist state as eventu ally possible, he accepted existing institutions as the result of past development and looked to the ruler of a united Germany to solve all social problems. The basis of the economic teaching of
Rodbertus is the principle laid down by Adam Smith and Ricardo, and insisted on by all the later socialists, that labour is the source and measure of value. In connection with this he developed the position that rent, profit and wages are all parts of a national income produced by the united organic labour of the workers of the community. Consequently wages of labour cannot be paid out of capital; for they are only that part of the national income which is received by the workmen, of a national income which they have themselves produced.
Among his works are: Die Forderungen der arbeitenden Klassen (1831) ; Zur Erkenntniss unserer staatswirtschaftlichen Zustiinde (1842) ; Creditnot des Grundbesitzes (2nd ed., 1876). Sec E. C. Gonner, Social Philosophy of Rodbertus (1899) ; G. Mayer, Rodbertus und Lassalle (1924) ; H. Sultan, Rodbertus und der agrarische Social Konservatismus (1927).