The Road to Serfdom

96 Pages Posted: 24 Mar 2005

See all articles by John Blundell

John Blundell

IEA, Institute of Economic Affairs, U.K.

F.A. Hayek

IEA, Institute of Economic Affairs, U.K.

Abstract

In the last years of World War II, Friedrich Hayek wrote 'The Road to Serfdom'. He warned the Allies that policy proposals which were being canvassed for the post-war world ran the risk of destroying the very freedom for which they were fighting. On the basis of 'as in war, so in peace', economists and others were arguing that the government should plan all economic activity. Such planning, Hayek argued, would be incompatible with liberty, and had been at the very heart of the movements that had established both communism and Nazism.

On its publication in 1944, the book caused a sensation. Neither its British nor its American publisher could keep up with demand, owing to wartime paper rationing. Then, in 1945, Reader's Digest published 'The Road to Serfdom' as the condensed book in its April edition. For the first and still the only time, the condensed book was placed at the front of the magazine instead of the back. Hayek found himself a celebrity, addressing a mass market.

The condensed edition was republished for the first time by the IEA in 1999 and has been reissued to meet the continuing demand for its enduringly relevant and accessible message.

Keywords: socialism, liberalism, libertarianism

JEL Classification: A10, A12, B24

Suggested Citation

Blundell, John and Hayek, F.A., The Road to Serfdom. IEA Occasional Paper No. 122, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=677443 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.677443

John Blundell (Contact Author)

IEA, Institute of Economic Affairs, U.K. ( email )

2 Lord North Street
London SW1P 3LB
United Kingdom
(0207) 799 8911 (Phone)

F.A. Hayek

IEA, Institute of Economic Affairs, U.K. ( email )

2 Lord North Street
London SW1P 3LB
United Kingdom

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