Democracy: The God That Failed
Encyclopedia
Democracy: The God That Failed is a 2001 book by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
, containing a series of thirteen essays on the subject of democracy
and concluding with the belief that democracy is the primary cause of the decivilization sweeping the world since World War I
, and that it must be delegitimized.
He characterizes democracy as "publicly owned government
," which he compares to monarchy
—"privately owned government"—to conclude that the latter is preferable; however, Hoppe aims to show that both monarchy and democracy are deficient systems compared to his preferred structure to advance civilization—what he calls the natural order
, a system free of both taxation and coercive monopoly
in which jurisdictions freely compete for adherents. In his Introduction to the book, he lists other names used elsewhere to refer to the same thing, including "ordered anarchy," "private property anarchism," "anarcho-capitalism
," "autogovernment," "private law society," and "pure capitalism."
The title of the work is an allusion to The God That Failed
, a 1949 work in which six former communist
(or former communist sympathizer) authors describe their experience of and disillusion with communism.
German
Italian
Korean
Spanish
Polish
Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Hans-Hermann Hoppe is an Austrian School economist of the anarcho-capitalist tradition, and a Professor Emeritus of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.-Academic career:...
, containing a series of thirteen essays on the subject of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and concluding with the belief that democracy is the primary cause of the decivilization sweeping the world since World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and that it must be delegitimized.
He characterizes democracy as "publicly owned government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
," which he compares to monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
—"privately owned government"—to conclude that the latter is preferable; however, Hoppe aims to show that both monarchy and democracy are deficient systems compared to his preferred structure to advance civilization—what he calls the natural order
Natural order
In philosophy, the natural order is the moral source from which natural law seeks to derive its authority. It encompasses the natural relations of beings to one another, in the absence of law, which natural law attempts to reinforce....
, a system free of both taxation and coercive monopoly
Coercive monopoly
In economics and business ethics, a coercive monopoly is a business concern that prohibits competitors from entering the field, with the natural result being that the firm is able to make pricing and production decisions independent of competitive forces...
in which jurisdictions freely compete for adherents. In his Introduction to the book, he lists other names used elsewhere to refer to the same thing, including "ordered anarchy," "private property anarchism," "anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism is a libertarian and individualist anarchist political philosophy that advocates the elimination of the state in favour of individual sovereignty in a free market...
," "autogovernment," "private law society," and "pure capitalism."
The title of the work is an allusion to The God That Failed
The God that Failed
The God That Failed is a 1949 book which collects together six essays with the testimonies of a number of famous ex-communists, who were writers and journalists. The common theme of the essays is the authors' disillusionment with and abandonment of communism...
, a 1949 work in which six former communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
(or former communist sympathizer) authors describe their experience of and disillusion with communism.
Contents
- On Time PreferenceTime preferenceIn economics, time preference pertains to how large a premium a consumer places on enjoyment nearer in time over more remote enjoyment....
, GovernmentGovernmentGovernment refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, and the Process of Decivilization - On MonarchyMonarchyA monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, DemocracyDemocracyDemocracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, and the Idea of Natural Order - On Monarchy, Democracy, Public Opinion, and Delegitimation
- On Democracy, Redistribution, and the Destruction of Property
- On Centralization and Secession
- On SocialismSocialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and Desocialization - On Free Immigration and Forced Integration
- On Free Trade and Restricted Immigration
- On Cooperation, Tribe, City, and State
- On ConservatismConservatismConservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and LibertarianismLibertarianismLibertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view... - On the Errors of Classical Liberalism and the Future of Liberty
- On Government and the Private Production of Defense
- On the Impossibility of Limited Government and the Prospects for Revolution
Publishing history
English- Transaction Publishers, Rutgers, N.J., 2001: Hardcover: ISBN 0-7658-0088-8.
- Transaction Publishers, Rutgers, N.J., 2001: Paperback: ISBN 0-7658-0868-4.
German
- Hardcover: ISBN 3-933497-86-8.
Italian
- Cloth: ISBN 88-85140-77-7.
Korean
- Hardcover: ISBN 89-300-8022-7.
- Paperback: ISBN 89-300-8001-4.
Spanish
- Cloth: ISBN 84-933774-0-6.
Polish
- Warsaw, 2006: ISBN 83-89812-21-5.
See also
- The God That FailedThe God that FailedThe God That Failed is a 1949 book which collects together six essays with the testimonies of a number of famous ex-communists, who were writers and journalists. The common theme of the essays is the authors' disillusionment with and abandonment of communism...
, which the title derives from, containing testimonies by ex-CommunistEx-communistEx-communist can refer to:*Post-Communism, the period of political and economic transition in former communist states located in parts of Europe and Asia...
s.
External links
- Introduction to Democracy: The God That Failed
- World War I as the End of Civilization, (MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
file) a lecture by Hoppe on the same subject. - "Democracy: The God That Failed", an essay of the same title, also by Hoppe
- English preface to the Polish edition (in PDF format)
- An extract of Chapter Nine, "The Rise and Fall of the City"
- Link to list of reviews of the 2001 edition