Sell Back Your Copy
For a $1.48 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War [Paperback]

Ludwig Von Mises (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Textbook Student FREE Two-Day Shipping for Students. Learn more

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback $10.97  
Paperback, August 1985 --  
Unknown Binding --  

Book Description

0910884153 978-0910884150 August 1985
Published in 1944, during World War II, Omnipotent Government was Mises's first book written and published after he arrived in the United States. In this volume Mises provides in economic terms an explanation of the international conflicts that caused both world wars. Although written more than half a century ago, Mises's main theme still stands:  government interference in the economy leads to conflicts and wars. According to Mises, the last and best hope for peace is liberalism—the philosophy of liberty, free markets, limited government, and democracy.

Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) was the leading spokesman of the Austrian School of economics throughout most of the twentieth century. He earned his doctorate in law and economics from the University of Vienna in 1906. In 1926, Mises founded the Austrian Institute for Business Cycle Research. From 1909 to 1934, he was an economist for the Vienna Chamber of Commerce. Before the Anschluss, in 1934 Mises left for Geneva, where he was a professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies until 1940, when he emigrated to New York City. From 1948 to 1969, he was a visiting professor at New York University.

Bettina Bien Greaves is a former resident scholar, trustee, and longtime staff member of the Foundation for Economic Education. She has written and lectured extensively on topics of free market economics. Her articles have appeared in such journals as Human Events, Reason, and The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty. A student of Mises, Greaves has become an expert on his work in particular and that of the Austrian School of economics in general. She has translated several Mises monographs, compiled an annotated bibliography of his work, and edited collections of papers by Mises and other members of the Austrian School.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Omnipotent Government is not only a history of the fall of Germany, but also a powerful critique of the political, social, and economic ideologies that have shaped Western history in the last two hundred years. The ordeal of two World Wars, according to Mises, was the inevitable result of ideologies that call upon government for the management of human affairs. People today hail every step toward more government as "progress," and call for more laws, regulations, and their enforcement by courts and police. They are yearning for Caesar. They forget the consequences of total government. Omnipotent Government is a potent reminder.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 291 pages
  • Publisher: Libertarian Pr (August 1985)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0910884153
  • ISBN-13: 978-0910884150
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,565,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Articulate theory of fascism as a branch of socialism., June 3, 1998
By 
This review is from: Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War (Paperback)
Ludwig Von Mises, one of the last great Austrian liberal economists, had escaped from Nazi and Communist aggression in continental Europes at the time the book was written. Mises had arrived at the conclusion, made famous by his former student Friedrich Hayek, that fascism was simply a logical extension of the socialist philosophy. The need to engage in violent conquest was a result of socialism's attempts to raise national living standards while avoiding the "plague" of international capitalism. The only alternative for nations such as Germany, which had already embraced autocratic socialism under the Bismark, was to launch an unending series of military assults against their neighbors in order to avoid national starvation and impoverishment. The true irony of socialism is that it creates conditions that are completely opposed to its stated goals i.e. militarism instead of peace, poverty instead of plenty, and the destruction of freedom instead of an increase in human growth and potential.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The best pro-capitalist analysis of the rise of Naziism, September 18, 1997
This review is from: Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War (Paperback)
This book deserves a 10 for its ideas but is hard reading. Well worthwhile especially for disspelling the myth that fascism is some form of 'Ubercapitalism.' The author's brilliance clearly shines through the difficult writing
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The History of Modern European Conflict, April 3, 2008
By 
This review is from: Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War (Paperback)
The specific purpose of this book is to refute the mythology of an omnipotent dictator, who guides better than can markets. Unlike his other books, Mises relies more on history than theory to make his case. Omnipotent Government examines modern European history in an effort to explain the problems of twentieth century Europe.

Understanding the problems of Europe requires inquiry into the history of events and the history of ideas both. Liberalism is the policy of international peace, yet somehow people came to embrace particularly aggressive forms of nationalistic socialism (i.e. Nazism). Since the free trade policies of Europe are central to peaceful international relations, hostility between socialist nations (i.e. the Nazi and Soviet nations) is hardly surprising.

The productivity of modern industry hinges upon the international division of labor. Without international trade, productivity would fall to the point where only a fraction of the world population could survive. The consequences of National Socialism, and even protectionism, are therefore dire. The analysis in this book is not entirely new. Mises got into some of this material in his 1922 book Socialism, and Economic and Sociological Analysis. Lionel Robbins also did similar work in his Economic Planning and International Order.

Omnipotent is the most historical of Mises' books. This book is important as a historical work. It is also important because it explains the international aspects of the calculation critique of socialism better than his other works. Omnipotent Government also shows that Mises was not anti-empirical. Mises stressed the importance of theory because he rejected empirical analysis. Mises stressed the need for logically valid theory as the means of understanding history. As Mises notes towards the end of this book, the Classical Liberal program of free trade was rejected because people did not understand the importance of international division of labor. To put it simply, this book serves as an example of how history should be done.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:






i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...