Silvio Gesell: Pragmatic Businessman and Economic Visionary

Abstract

This article provides a biographical sketch of Silvio Gesell's life from an insider perspective. Recounting Gesell's birth, family life and education, the narrative describes how the multilingual, multicultural environment he grew up in, as well as an innate tendency toward independent thought, gave him the equipment to succeed in international business. Running a business in Argentina amidst the turbulence of 1890s enabled him to develop a deep understanding of economics and money. Although the unconventional nature of his economic analysis caused it to be largely ignored at first, Gesell worked assiduously to spread his ideas. His success in business provided him with the financial resources which would allow him to develop his ideas and proposals, which he promoted on both sides of the Atlantic, going back and forth between Argentina and Europe throughout his life. Ever the pragmatic man of action, Gesell even joined a socialist government in Bavaria as economics minister (despite having little ideological common ground with the government he served in). After the government fell, Gesell was imprisoned along with other leaders and mounted a successful self-defense which resulted in him being exonerated and freed. One is left to wonder if Gesell had any inkling of the significance of ideas, since most of the appreciation of his work came long after his death in 1930.