Free Enterprise & Socialism – Perspectives from History
Posted by Orrin Woodward on February 18, 2009
History is a fascinating subject because the principles involved are inviolate. No matter what fancy slogans are used or promises of utopia – economic laws cannot be revoked. Throughout history, the power of the state has attempted to revoke economic laws and the results are always predictable. Examples from history proliferate on this point. The late stage of the Roman Empire, the French Revolution, the German National Socialist, and the Russian Communist Revolution all attempted different styles of state control over the economy. Each one ended in utter failure and ridicule. We must remind American’s of the founder’s original American Experiment, which allowed a free people the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every step in the direction of government controls is a step away from individual liberty. You can argue with me forever on this point, but history is not on your side. This is why reading economic, political, and national histories is so important. Without an understanding of the roots of our liberties, it is easy to have them cut off by demagogues that speak sweet sounding words to our fallen natures. Here are some of my favorite quotes on history.
David C. McCullough:
History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.
Edward Gibbon:
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging of the future but by the past.
Etienne Gilson:
History is the only laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of thought.
George Santayana:
Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Harry Truman:
The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.
Pearl S. Buck:
One faces the future with one’s past.
Thucydides:
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Ludwig Von Mises lived through WWI and WWII. He saw the socialistic ideas and what it did to Germany and Austria. This video is an intriguing look into the man who stood by himself against the onslaught of statist power. The courage of Von Mises to speak truth in an age of lies should be celebrated and honored. The Bible states to give honor to whom honor is due. Ludwig Von Mises should be honored for his ground breaking work in economics and liberty. Do we understand the price that civilization has paid to have the freedoms we enjoy today? We have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the principles of freedom. We must understand the roots of freedom in order to protect those freedoms. Enjoy the video and watch for the parallels in the history of Von Mises’s time with the current events in our time. God Bless, Orrin Woodward
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpATNp5DjYI&w=425&h=344]
2 Responses to “Free Enterprise & Socialism – Perspectives from History”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Peter Schiff Analogies « Orrin Woodward Life Leadership Team said
[…] School is the clearest thinking and historically accurate school of economics in the world. Ludwig Von Mises and Friedrich Von Hayek were original titans in an age of Keynesian copycats. Enjoy the video […]
Peter Schiff in 2006 « Orrin Woodward Life Leadership Team said
[…] Schiff is one of the best commentators on Austrian Economics, Political Liberties, and our Founding Fathers in America today. In 2006, Peter […]