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The Road to Serfdom
Book

The Road to Serfdom

University of Chicago Press, 2007
First Edition: 1944 mais...


Editorial Rating

9

Recommendation

Friedrich A. Hayek, an Austrian economist, wrote this classic defense of democracy and market economies in 1944. That it remains a bestseller is a testament to the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of his critique of socialism and centrally planned economies. Hayek cites the influence of Karl Marx and other German philosophers who primed citizens to embrace Hitler's totalitarian rule. The Great Depression of the 1930s stepped up questions about capitalism and boosted support for socialism in democratic countries. But Hayek warned that citizens of democracies put their freedom at risk when they extolled the goals of socialism. This edition of Hayek’s classic includes an introduction by the book’s editor, ample annotation of the text and an appendix with related documents, as well an introduction by monetary policy expert Milton Friedman. Readers who want to know the seminal works in this field and to explore the philosophical differences between socialism and capitalism should know this work.

Take-Aways

  • “Liberalism,” or minimal government, frees individuals to pursue their self-interest.
  • A hybrid government that merges elements of democracy and socialism would not work.
  • Socialism involves central economic planning and eliminates entrepreneurial initiative.

About the Author

Friedrich August von Hayek (1899-1992), an economist from Vienna, Austria, and a proponent of market-based economies, was co-winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics in 1974 and recipient of the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991.


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    S. H. 6 years ago
    It would be beneficial to all readers if the audio followed the abstract as written. This one jumped around so much that it was very hard to follow — and this happens to be a book I know well.
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      6 years ago
      Thanks for your suggestion. As it happens, our audio summaries are edited for clear elocution and smooth listening and our print/on screen/mobile abstracts are edited for smooth visual reading -- different missions, different pieces drawn from our writer's original summary, often very different user needs. Having once taught reading by using books alongside books-on-tape, I do understand what you're thinking of, but we create purpose-built summaries for audio and visual audiences, so having them be the same wouldn't fit that mission. Thanks very much, though, for the food for thought. E. Rauzin, Senior Managing Editor, getAbstract

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