Ludwig von Mises Boeken

Published for the first time together in one volume is Ludwig von Mises's Notes and Recollections with The Historical Setting of the Austrian School of Economics. Written between 1940 and 1941, shortly after he arrived in the United States, Notes and Recollections is in effect Mises's pre-1940 intellectual autobiography. This work reveals how Mises developed his theories, wrote his books, lectured, and taught; it describes his life in Vienna and the people with whom he worked. He also discusses his activities as an adviser to Austrian government officials and his frustrations in attempting to keep inflation and communist and Nazi ideas from destroying the Austrian economy. The Historical Setting of the Austrian School of Economics is an essay originally published in English in 1969 that reveals Mises's intellectual development in the context of the origins of the Austrian School. It serves as a good introduction to the theory and history of the Austrian School. As Mises explains in these two works, his viewpoint that modern economics is based on subjective value and marginal-utility theory separated him from classical economists such as Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and John Stuart Mill. Please note: This title is available as an ebook for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.

In this anthology, Mises offers an articulate and accessible introduction to and critique of two topics he considers especially important: inflation and government interventionism. Mises believes inflation, that is monetary expansion, is destructive; it destroys savings and investment, which are the basis for production and prosperity. Government controls and economic planning never accomplish what their proponents intend. Mises consistently argues that the solution to government intervention is free markets and free enterprise, which call for reforming government. For that, ideas must be changed to "let the market system work." There is no better "planning for freedom" than this. The seventeen essays in Planning for Freedom: Let the Market System Work are tied together by one overarching idea, best expressed by Mises in the capstone essay "Profit and Loss." The essays in the final section of the book summarize Mises's contributions to economic thought and emphasize his firm belief in the power of ideas. Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) was the leading spokesman of the Austrian School of economics throughout most of the twentieth century. Bettina Bien Greaves is a former resident scholar and trustee of the Foundation for Economic Education and was a senior staff member at FEE from 1951 to 1999.

"Originally published in 1998 by Foundation for Economic Education, Inc."

Published by Liberty Fund for the first time in English, "On the Manipulation of Money and Credit" consists primarily of three pieces on monetary theory written by Ludwig von Mises between 1923 and 1931. As a precursor to Human Action, Mises's magnum opus, this volume includes some of his most important contributions to trade-cycle theory. The first essay, "Stabilization of the Monetary Unit from the Viewpoint of Theory" written in 1923 during a period of German hyperinflation, discusses the consequences of the fluctuating purchasing power of paper money and explores such ideas as the outcome of inflation, that is, the result of the increase in the amount of money, and an emancipation of monetary value from the influence of government. Written in 1928, the second essay, "Monetary Stabilization and Cyclical Policy" critiques schemes for stabilising prices and for "measuring" purchasing power. The third selection is a speech Mises gave in 1931, "The Causes of the Economic Crisis". It explores the nature and role of the market and cyclical changes in business conditions.

From one of the preeminent theorists of the acclaimed Austrian school of economics, "The Theory of Money and Credit" represents a major contribution to the science of economics. Von Mises examines the value of money, how it can be measured, and the effects of credit and monetary policy at the nation-state level. Von Mises is well known for advocating a return to the gold standard as a way to eliminate the growth and recession cycles. Given the current economic crises, many people who want a better understanding of economics are turning back to this classic work in order to be better informed on the implications of monetary and credit policy.

Theory and History is primarily a critique of Karl Marx, his materialism, and his prediction of the inevitability of socialism. Marx attributes the creation of tools and machines, as well as the economic structure of society, to undefined "material productive forces;" Mises rejects this materialistic view; he points out that tools and machines are actually created by individuals acting on the basis of non-materialistic ideas. This book discusses the theory of economics, i.e., the study of purposive human action, and with history, the record of the past actions of individuals. All actions are determined by ideas. Thoughts and ideas are "real things," Mises writes. "Although intangible and immaterial, they are factors in bringing about changes in the realm, of tangible and material things." Rather than rejecting the study of historical change as a "useless pastime," Mises considers it of the utmost practical importance. "History looks backward into the past, but the lesson it teaches concerns things to come." History opens the mind to an understanding of human nature, increases wisdom, and distinguishes civilized man from the barbarian. Moreover, historical knowledge is of the utmost importance in helping to anticipate and plan for the future. -- Publisher description.

Essential to Mises's concept of a classical liberal economy is the absence of interference by the state. In World War I, Germany and its allies were overpowered by the Allied Powers in population, economic production, and military might, and its defeat was inevitable. Mises believed that Germany should not seek revenge for the peace of Versailles; rather it should adopt liberal ideas and a free-market economy by expanding the international division of labor, which would help all parties. "For us and for humanity," Mises wrote, "there is only one salvation: return to rationalistic liberalism." Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) was the leading spokesman of the Austrian School of economics throughout most of the twentieth century. Bettina Bien Greaves is a former resident scholar and trustee of the Foundation for Economic Education and was a senior staff member at FEE from 1951 to 1999. Please note: This title is available as an ebook for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.

Written toward the end of Mises's life, his last monograph, The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science, returned to science, economics as a science based on human action. Mises believed that, since the publication of Human Action, economists and scientists alike had misinterpreted the idea of economics as a science by deeming it epistemological positivism -- that they believed that the "science" basis was still more rooted in philosophy than in actual science. In this volume, Mises argued that economics is a science because human action is a natural order of life and that it is the actions of humans that determine markets and capital decisions. Since Mises believed these links could be proven scientifically, he concluded that economics, with its basis on that human action, is indeed a science in its own right and not an ideology or a metaphysical doctrine. What has been described as his most passionate work, The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science brings together all of the themes from Mises's previous work.

Ludwig von Mises was a leading exponent of the Austrian School of Economics, which emphasizes individual choice as opposed to group action. His is the underpinnings of the Libertarian Philosophy as expounded upon by Ron Paul, former candidate for President of the United States. Politically, he is regarded as being on the extreme right-wing. For more than half a century, Ludwig von Mises pondered the great issues he discusses in this book. Perhaps the world's foremost economist, he sums up here his views on what man can know in a social science like economics, how this differs from historical learning, metaphysics or the physical sciences and how it may be put to work for the shaping of both ends and means in the Western world. This is the economic philosophy of one of the original untrammeled minds of this century. It is the work of an unmistakable champion of the individual and his need to make his own choices and even mistakes in his search for the good things of life. Ludwig von Mises is internationally known as the leading exponent of the Austrian School of Economics and is the author of a shelf of major books dealing with economic theory and social practice.