A New Libertarian Book to Push Aside 'The Communist Manifesto' and Mao's 'Little Red Book'

Massive  movements often are accompanied by the written word in the form of very short books that can be easily grasped by the masses. Thomas Paine’s short book, Common Sense, played an important role in fueling the fire of the revolutionaries during the American Revolution.

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and The Little Red Book by Mao helped fuel mass movements of a different nature. To be sure, these last two books helped launch horrific movements, but it is the case that the books were there to support the movements.

Libertarianism now has this type of short book that can support a movement. A book that could fuel a trend toward the good, an anracho-capitalist movement, a private society movement, if you will. It is a small book, only 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall, and only 74 pages. But it is brilliant.

I am referring to Hans-Hermann Hoppe’s new book From Aristocracy to Monarchy to Democracy: A Tale of Moral and Economic Folly and Decay.

The book is a powerful discussion of the nature of the development of government. Hoppe examines, in a manner that any clear thinking person can understand, how wise men settlers of disputes, evolved into feudal From Aristocracy to Mo... Hans-Hermann Hoppe Buy New $7.00 (as of 06:00 UTC - Details) lordships, then constitutional monarchies and finally into democratic governments. He examines each step of this evolution and why things moved from good to bad to worse.

He points his finger at democratic governments and explains why they are the worst of the lot.

He writes:

What then has been the morale of my story? I have tried to make the current world intelligible, to reconstruct it as a predictable result of a series of successive and cumulative moral and economic errors.

He magnificently succeeded in this task. But he is not through, after leading us through an understanding of the “cumulative moral and economic errors,” he writes of the path to reverse these errors:

As indicated, the democratic system is on the verge of economic collapse…In this situation, not quite unlike the situation after the collapse of the Soviet Empire, countless decentralizing, separatist and secessionist movements and tendencies have gained momentum, and I would advocate that as much ideological support be given to these movements.

For even if as a result of such decentralization tendencies new State governments should spring up, whether democratic or otherwise, territorially smaller States and increased political competition will tend to encourage moderation as regards a State’s exploitation of productive people. Just look at Liechtenstein, Monaco, Singapore, Hong Kong and even Switzerland…

This is a great book. Buy it for yourself and get to know it cold..and buy it for your friends. This book can, without question, launch a great understanding of the true nature of government and what needs to be done to make things better.

Reprinted with permission from Target Liberty.

Common Sense Thomas Paine Best Price: $6.41 Buy New $5.89 (as of 04:05 UTC - Details)

The Communist Manifesto Engels, Friedrich Best Price: $3.79 Buy New $7.95 (as of 07:05 UTC - Details)

Chairman Mao’s L... Best Price: $4.95 Buy New $6.99 (as of 01:50 UTC - Details)

Against the State: An ... Rockwell Jr., Llewelly... Best Price: $5.02 Buy New $5.52 (as of 11:35 UTC - Details)