ABSTRACT
The early part of the twentieth century was a golden period for Marxian economics. With the dominant German Social Democratic Party at its centre, a rich ferment of discussion took place over the meaning and application of Marx’s Capital; and in particular over the role of the reproduction schema. This golden period came to a brutal end. Rosa Luxemburg was murdered by right-wing terrorists, Hilferding perished at the hands of the Gestapo in France and Bukharin fell victim to Stalin’s show trials. In view of the enormous damage to the Marxian economic tradition inflicted by this age of extremes, it is vital that the ideas developed during this period are salvaged.
