On Wall Street, in the culture of high tech, in American government: Libertarianism—the simple but radical idea that the only purpose of government is to protect its citizens and their property against direct violence and threat— has become an extremely influential strain of thought. But while many books talk about libertarian ideas, none until now has explored the history of this uniquely American movement—where and who it came from, how it evolved, and what impact it has had on our country.
In this revelatory book, based on original research and interviews with more than 100 key sources, Brian Doherty traces the evolution of the movement through the unconventional life stories of its most influential leaders— Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, and Milton Friedman—and through the personal battles, character flaws, love affairs, and historical events that altered its course. And by doing so, he provides a fascinating new perspective on American history—from the New Deal through the culture wars of the 1960s to today’s most divisive political issues. Neither an exposé nor a political polemic, this entertaining historical narrative will enlighten anyone interested in American politics.
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Recommended We’ll written and interesting.At points it feels unnecessarily long (I sometimes fell like I am getting a too detailed account of the history of the libertarian movement), but on the other hand it is interesting to learn about what went on behind the scenes: the rivalries and alliances, the friendships and betrayals. And of course, as a libertarian, it is interesting for me to learn about the moral character of the thinkers who have influenced me. How they treated their friends, and more…
Fun Reading I admit I had this book laying around for over a year before I finally got into it. I was intimidated by its size I suppose. Or maybe I thought 620 pages about libertarian history would be a bore. Boy was I wrong on that score. I remember a guy telling a group of people years ago ‘did you ever notice that everyone who is homeschooled is really a weird/strange person.’ Well I guess people who don’t live in a conformity box or worry about group think seem strange to those who do. That brings me…
The Philosophy Of Freedom When the 20th Century was still young, things didn’t look good at all for the ideas of individual liberty and self-government that had been the spark that lit the American and French Revolutions. Intellectually and politically, collectivism, of both the right and the left, was on the march. In Europe and most of the rest of the world it manifested itself in either the dictatorships of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco, or the supposed freedom of “social democracy.” In the United States, it…