Henry Meulen
Encyclopedia
Henry Meulen was a British individualist anarchist and economist
. He was an editor of the periodical called The Individualist, published by the Personal Rights Association
and actively promoted the philosophy of free banking
. He is the author of Free Banking: An Outline of a Policy on Individualism (London: Macmillan, 1934) and Individualist Anarchism (Glasgow: The Strickland Press, 1949).
Meulen's parents were born in the village of Kirchberg
and emigrated to London c1870. His father (Friedrich Maullen) worked as a bookbinder and, though successful, could not afford to send his five children to university. Henry went to the French school in Soho and then entered the competitive examination, with 400 other candidates, to join the Post Office. He obtained one of the seven available places and because of his fluency in French and German went to work in the Central Telegraph Office. In 1910 he set up home with Violet Middleton in Bedford Park
. His only daughter, Paula Meulen (later Paula Turner, wife of Richard Wainright Duke Turner
), was born in 1911 and Violet died in childbirth. Henry had become interested in currency reform and began work on his first book Industrial Justice through Banking Reform. An outline of a policy of individualism. The book was nearly finished when, in 1916, he was conscripted and sent to France in a labour battalion (because of his German parentage). When his musical talent was discovered he joined a concert party known as the All Stars. Henry changed the spelling of his family name from Maullen to Meulen because the family were originally from the Low Countries and, he thought, related to Antony Francis van der Meulen
. Originally Protestant, the family was displaced in the Thirty Years War and sceptical thereafter. He thought of himself as a seventh generation atheist.
When demobbed after the First World War, Meulen felt that too much of his life had been spent working for the government. He had seen many inefficiencies and developed an enthusiasm for role of entrepreneurship and private enterprise in an economy. A friend from his debating society (McKenzie) suggested starting a business which would import manufactured goods from Germany
. Meulen, whose German was excellent, travelled as a buyer. The trading name of the business was Cairns and Company, operating from Hammersmith in West London. It was successful but the two friends lost most of their money when the German papiermark
collapsed in 1923. This experience gave Meulen a deep-seated distrust of any government's ability to manage a currency and inspired him to start work on Free Banking: An Outline of a Policy on Individualism. The book has a careful study of the Scottish banking system and of the circumstances leading to what he regarded as the fateful passage of Bank Charter Act 1844
. Meulen believed that the monopoly of note issue obtained by the Bank of England was a disaster for Britain and that the evil consequences of this monopoly spread round the world, causing economic depressions, revolutions, a loss of individual liberty and the agglomeration of power by governments. Towards the end of his life Meulen became a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher
and hoped that she would roll back the power of the state. He died eight months before her first election victory.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
. He was an editor of the periodical called The Individualist, published by the Personal Rights Association
Personal Rights Association
The body which became the Personal Rights Association was founded in England in 1871. The 1913 Annual Report of the PRA records that 'On the 14th March, 1871, a meeting largely attended by sympathisers from various parts of England, was held in Manchester, to consider the possibility of forming a...
and actively promoted the philosophy of free banking
Free banking
Free banking refers to a monetary arrangement in which banks are subject to no special regulations beyond those applicable to most enterprises, and in which they also are free to issue their own paper currency...
. He is the author of Free Banking: An Outline of a Policy on Individualism (London: Macmillan, 1934) and Individualist Anarchism (Glasgow: The Strickland Press, 1949).
Kirchberg
-Austria:*Kirchberg am Wagram, a town in Lower Austria*Kirchberg am Wechsel, a town in Lower Austria*Kirchberg an der Raab, a town in Styria*Kirchberg bei Mattighofen, a town in the district of Braunau, Upper Austria...
and emigrated to London c1870. His father (Friedrich Maullen) worked as a bookbinder and, though successful, could not afford to send his five children to university. Henry went to the French school in Soho and then entered the competitive examination, with 400 other candidates, to join the Post Office. He obtained one of the seven available places and because of his fluency in French and German went to work in the Central Telegraph Office. In 1910 he set up home with Violet Middleton in Bedford Park
Bedford Park, London
Bedford Park is a suburban development in west London, England. It forms a conservation area that is mostly within the London Borough of Ealing, with a small part to the east within the London Borough of Hounslow. The nearest underground station is Turnham Green .-History:It can be justly described...
. His only daughter, Paula Meulen (later Paula Turner, wife of Richard Wainright Duke Turner
Richard Wainright Duke Turner
Dr R W D Turner FRCP, FRCPE, was a physician, cardiologist and author. He was born in Purley 1909, a grandson of Sir James Wainwright, and died in Ditchling 1992...
), was born in 1911 and Violet died in childbirth. Henry had become interested in currency reform and began work on his first book Industrial Justice through Banking Reform. An outline of a policy of individualism. The book was nearly finished when, in 1916, he was conscripted and sent to France in a labour battalion (because of his German parentage). When his musical talent was discovered he joined a concert party known as the All Stars. Henry changed the spelling of his family name from Maullen to Meulen because the family were originally from the Low Countries and, he thought, related to Antony Francis van der Meulen
Antony Francis van der Meulen
Adam Frans van der Meulen was a Flemish Baroque painter specialising in battle scenes. He was active first in Brussels, where he was a pupil of Pieter Snayers, and from the 1660s onwards in Paris.-Biography:...
. Originally Protestant, the family was displaced in the Thirty Years War and sceptical thereafter. He thought of himself as a seventh generation atheist.
When demobbed after the First World War, Meulen felt that too much of his life had been spent working for the government. He had seen many inefficiencies and developed an enthusiasm for role of entrepreneurship and private enterprise in an economy. A friend from his debating society (McKenzie) suggested starting a business which would import manufactured goods from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Meulen, whose German was excellent, travelled as a buyer. The trading name of the business was Cairns and Company, operating from Hammersmith in West London. It was successful but the two friends lost most of their money when the German papiermark
German papiermark
The name Papiermark is applied to the German currency from the 4th August 1914 when the link between the Mark and gold was abandoned, due to the outbreak of World War I...
collapsed in 1923. This experience gave Meulen a deep-seated distrust of any government's ability to manage a currency and inspired him to start work on Free Banking: An Outline of a Policy on Individualism. The book has a careful study of the Scottish banking system and of the circumstances leading to what he regarded as the fateful passage of Bank Charter Act 1844
Bank Charter Act 1844
The Bank Charter Act 1844 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed under the government of Robert Peel, which restricted the powers of British banks and gave exclusive note-issuing powers to the central Bank of England....
. Meulen believed that the monopoly of note issue obtained by the Bank of England was a disaster for Britain and that the evil consequences of this monopoly spread round the world, causing economic depressions, revolutions, a loss of individual liberty and the agglomeration of power by governments. Towards the end of his life Meulen became a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and hoped that she would roll back the power of the state. He died eight months before her first election victory.
External links
- Part I of Instead of a Magazine Correspondence between Beckerath and Muelen Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI edited by John ZubeJohn ZubeJohn Zube is a German-Australian libertarian activist and founder of the Libertarian Microfiche Publishing project.Born in Germany, Zube was introduced to libertarianism by his father, Kurt Zube, a prominent individualist anarchist persecuted under the Nazis...