[This originally appeared as “Mises and History,” in the
January 1974 edition of The Libertarian Forum.]
The death of Ludwig von Mises has brought forth numerous
essays on his contribution to economics. It is equally in order to discuss his
work in the historical sciences, as he called them. Having had the honor and
pleasure of attending Mises’ graduate seminar during the years in which he
wrote Theory and History and devoted his seminar to that subject, I had
the rare opportunity of participating in the final formulation of his
long-considered concepts of the historical sciences. But, before discussing
that part of his contribution in another article, I shall indicate some of the
substantive historical analyses which Mises made.
Faced with the rise of classical liberalism in the 19th
century and its collapse since the first world war, Mises had very special
motives for examining contemporary history. Mises emphasized that ideas are the
base on which all social activity takes place. It is in the realm of ideas that
the battle for civilization and progress takes place. Mises emphasized the fact
and the necessity that classical liberalism had to be obstinate and uncompromising.
Success of liberal ideas required the enlightenment of people who studied ideas
who would convince the citizenry of their correctness. Mises advocated a
revolution in ideas as the necessary step to the revolution of the practice of
freedom. However, the advocates of classical liberalism in the 19th century
were not obstinate and uncompromising. The English utilitarians, especially
Ricardo, had incomplete and compromised notions leading succeeding liberals not
to correct and complete them but to turn away to more compromises as in the
case of John Stuart Mill….To Read More…
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