The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents--The Definitive Edition (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek, Volume 2)

The Road to Serfdom by F.A.Hayek (Note: I own and have READ this book) (...) Short review: strongly recommended. A timeless classic. An analytic exposition of the same old re-cycled, cancerous, glib, smug nonsense that we hear endlessly repeated so often today. Namely that (yawn) Capitalism and the Free Market are unjust, inequitable, and dying anyway. No good has ever (EVER) come from rich, corrupt businessmen. They are exploiters and parasites. They need to be replaced by a benevolent, kind, compassionate 'planned' society. Administered by an Elite body of Federal Planners in Washington, who are wise and kind, (a tear trickles down our cheek), and who consist heavily of academics, intellectuals and Supreme Court Judges. We need more Government bodies, because they are fair, balanced, and wise. We need more rules, regulations, taxes and government inspectors to help business and private investment. (All kneel....) A heavy read, requires concentration and dedication, and be prepared to look up many references. Some long paragraphs, some convoluted sentences, some ponderous pronunciations, but a work, written roughly between 1938 to 1944, which can be used as a stunning blue print to understand today's misleading representations by left wing extremists and political agitators. .What we see today in America is nothing new. The poorly read, uninformed, short sighted, activists, eager as ever to mount the barricades, but quite unwilling to sit, read, listen... and think. It's the Old Marxist Brigade, the dreamers and the malcontents, revamped, with changed colors, new rhetoric, and lots of Utopian promises of 'free lunch' for all. In fact, they are intent on their own personal gain and self aggrandisement. Power politics as usual. Hayek foresaw it all, and described it for us in this incredibly clear sighted and clairvoyant work. This book has been an important inspirational source for many of today's more popular trendy conservative writers, although, so it seems, most will not admit to it. (With the exception of Mark Levin in his interesting "Liberty and Tyranny") Long review: I like an author who entitles a chapter "Why the worst get on top" (chapter 10). I've often wondered the same thing. On page 160 he says: "There are three main reasons why such a numerous and strong group with fairly homogeneous views is not likely to be formed by the best but rather by the worst elements of any society." He then gives "three main reasons", which I suggest are well reasoned, well thought out, and ring remarkably true of today's self appointed saviours of the exploited masses. Check it out yourself. I'll quote you part of his third reason: "It seems almost a law of human nature that it is easier for people to agree on a negative program - on the hatred of the enemy, on the envy of those better off - than on any positive task." P.162: "Collectivism has no room for the wide humanitarianism of liberalism but only for the narrow particularism of the totalitarian." Chapter 2 is called "The Great Utopia", and if you're a bit of a weathered cynic like me, you'll enjoy it. Page 77 contains the classic quote from Tocqueville "Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude". On p. 78, Hayek says: "There can be no doubt that the promise of freedom has become one of the most effective weapons of socialist propaganda and that the belief that socialism would bring freedom is genuine and sincere. But this would only heighten the tragedy if it should prove that what was promised to us as the Road to Freedom was in fact the High Road to Servitude..." Chapter 11 is called "The End of Truth" and you have to smile. Maybe Hayek was a secret time traveler. Maybe he visited America in the year 2009. If he did, then he penned the opening paragraph of this chapter for Americans today. Read it, you might like it. He continues on page 172: "The moral consequences of totalitarian propaganda....are of an even more profound kind. They are destructive of all morals because they undermine one of the foundations of all morals: the sense of and the respect for truth." Chapter 13 is called "The Totalitarians in our Midst", and must have been written yesterday. It contains so many quotable quotes, I shall limit myself to two: "...there is scarcely a leaf out of Hitler's book which somebody or other in England or America has not recommended us to take and use for our own purposes." (p.195) Or how about this one, same page: "Individualism must come to an end absolutely. A system of regulations must be set up, the object of which is not the greater happiness of the individual.... but the strengthening of the organized unity of the state for the object of attaining the maximum degree of efficiency..." This book is a classic. The introduction by Bruce Caldwell is detailed. My two minor grumbles would be: 1) that some of the sentences are very long winded. Lots of clauses, juxtapositions, conditional statements. I read a lot, but I frequently found myself forced to re-read a sentence, and sometimes a whole paragraph. Hayek crams a lot into every word. Anybody who says this book is an 'easy read', with 'smooth prose' possesses a much higher IQ than I do. I still can read any page in Hayek, and enjoy it. It's a rich offering. 2) So why in heck are there only 44 reviews so far of this masterpiece on Amazon? Many authors today, with over 1,000 reviews, widely feted with lots of rah-rah-rah and prime time hoopla-la-la, clearly show Hayek Road-to-Serfdom influence in their work. They don't always admit it. For my money, THIS is a major source for many of today's writers. Yup, you have to work at Hayek. He's not easy. Roll up your sleeves. Take notes. You can't watch the 'Commie News network' (CNN) at the same time, do the crossword, and listen to your favorite rapper. But Hayek is overwhelmingly well worth every effort. A truly great, gripping, far sighted classic.

This is a new version of "The Road To Serfdom." Although it is a classic, I had never read it until now. I appreciated the additional information about how it was developed and interpreted. I believe Hayek is brilliant in his perception of with is the big picture regarding the results of the various political philosophies. It is not any easy read, but it is worth reading. Primarily this book explains the rise of totalitarianism in twentieth century Europe and extends it to an argument concerning the incompatibility of democracy and comprehensive central planning. Hayek argues that the pursuit of socialist ideals leads eventually leads from socialism to totalitarianism. While many think that socialist ideals are noble, those who implement socialism will find it necessary to adopt coercive methods that are incompatible with freedom of the poeple. Thus socialists must eventually choose a big central form of government that sets aside their egalitarian goals as it destroys individual liberty. Hayek describes how Europeans tried to accelerate greater progress and freedom from want by giving up individual freedom from coercion. Their form of democracy came to be seen as a means of realizing an increasing number of social goals, rather than as a means of preserving freedom. Hayek believes these were dangerous errors, especially for those countries like Germany and Russia, which ultimately required the acceptance of dictatorship. This is a dire consequence, as it is the worst sort of tyrants who are most adept at wielding dictatorial powers. The fact that other European countries have yet realized the horrible results of Nazism or Stalinism does not mean that they are safe from despotism in the future. It only says they are just moving toward it more slowly. Hayek wrote this book to warn people about the limits of democracy and the incompatibility of social planning and freedom. Socialists who favor big government and its comprehensive planning, and even modern liberals and conservatives who want to plan part of society, proceed on a false assumption concerning human reason. Ultimately, Hayek makes a strong case for limited constitutional government. To expect more of democracy than what Madison and Jefferson intended invites disaster. I believe "The Road to Serfdom" is a profound defense of our U.S. Constitution and its form of limited government. Because of that I give it 5 stars. I can see why this book stands out as a true classic. It is both timeless and it offers insights that are relevant to our current problems with growing Federal spending and regulation. I also beleive it wakes people up and will get them to join the new American Revolution that the Tea Party started in order to take back the Government and make it responsible again. If you love America and want to see it continue to be free for your children, then I highly recommend you read this book ASAP. A WORD OF CAUTION: If you read this book and begin speaking out or taking action to defend Liberty, there is a very high chance that those who embrace social governmental control (and the removal of our U.S. Constitutional rights) will become offended. And, because they don't have a regard for following laws (because they equate liberty with the freedom from moral discipline), they might try to accuse you of false wrong doing (i.e. lie about you and perhaps call you a racist) and otherwise try to harm your reputation. Therefore, I would highly recommend getting another book called, Wild West 2.0: How to Protect and Restore Your Reputation on the Untamed Social Frontier . As a Patriot, it is inevitable that you will run across people who will try to ruin your online reputation (like they do to other conservatives). This book tells you exactly where to look for the problems that Liberals might cause for you and then how to repair them.

This is a classic. What more can I say? Though the reader should also read some left leaning authentic book.

It is a historic but outmoded interesting economic thought that inspired Regan and Thatcher and many economists of the post-industrial era. Great book

Makes a thinking persons’ arguments much more founded and well rounded. Modern today as it was in the 40s.

Hayeks greatest work

70 and more years after its publication, "The road to serfdom" is still an inspiring and deep reading. I read the book while researching on Thatcherism, as it has been the milestone of Mrs. Margaret's economic thought. It is pleasant, never boring, insightful to read after knowing "What happened next". Although economically questionable nowadys, Hayek's theories are a must for Economic History amateurs.