The State (LvMI)

The State (LvMI)
Franz Oppenheimer (Author), John M. Gitterman (Translator)
(5)

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Anarchism

This is the 1908 book that kicked off a century of antistate, proproperty writing. This was the prototype for Albert Jay Nock's writing, for Frank Chodorov's work, and even the theoretical edifice that later became Rothbardianism.

Indeed, Franz Oppenheimer wrote what remains one of the most bracing and stimulating volumes in the history of political philosophy. He overthrows centuries of fallacious thinking on the subject of the state's origin, nature, and purpose, and replaces it with a view of the state as composed of a victorious group of bandits who rule over the defeated group with the purpose of domination and exploitation.

Not surprisingly, such views were a scandal when Oppenheimer published this book in turn-of-the-century Germany — they still are. The physician-turned-sociologist suffered terribly for his libertarian views. Yet when this book appeared it stunned even his most vociferous critics with its analytical rigor, historical sweep, and steely resolve. The book has since appeared in more than a dozen languages. In a world that cares about ideas, this would be required reading in political philosophy.

From an economic angle, Oppenheimer's analysis holds up even where his language about capitalism and socialism is muddled. It was Murray N. Rothbard's work that later took Oppenheimer's theory and fit it into a thoroughly free-market framework.

Yet to fully understand the state theory that underlies modern Austrolibertarian thinking, this work is indispensable.

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• Rank: #79412 in eBooks
• Published on: 2010-12-31
• Released on: 2010-12-31
• Format: Kindle eBook