World History

By abolishing the weekend, the Soviets were in one move able to strike a blow against both families and religious institutions. All that was left was the state — and state-mandated labor.

Government officials have often stood in the way of scientific progress.

Far from being the saviors of society, the new breed of anti-market conservatives are merely the newest iteration of the long line of anti-social apologists for state domination.

The Soviets, the Nazis, the Khmer Rouge — these totalitarian regimes would have failed even without any intervention from geopolitical rivals. The socialist systems would have been conquered not by standing armies, but by economics.

The fully satisfied individual is purposeless, he does not act, he has no incentive to think, he spends his days in leisurely enjoyment of life. It is certain that living men can never attain such a state of perfection and equilibrium.

The rulers of that period had far-reaching powers over the activities of their subjects, while individual liberties were largely submerged.

In his new book Judgment in Moscow, Vladimir Bukovsky claims the spirit of the Bolsheviks was never really destroyed. And it has been kept alive with Western help. 

Keynes's Malthusianism indicates that he had a defective understanding of the division of labor and the law of returns. Beyond that, his population policies reveal the totalitarianism inherent in the Keynesian vision.

The African continent is exceedingly rich in natural resources, yet the living standard of Africans is very low. The most plausible explanation for this discrepancy is the lack of a system that protects private property.

One East Berliner told me there was not much difference between “freedom” in West and East Berlin because some workers in West Berlin had to commute more than half an hour by bus to get to work.   Hence, they had no freedom.