The Road to Slavery by Friedrich von Hayek is the most famous 1974 Nobel Laureate book on economics. The work has been translated into more than 20 languages, is considered one of the fundamental in classical liberalism. The book had a huge impact on modern world politics and the economy, became the basis for ideas on the rejection of state regulation, motivated to return to the classical model of a competitive market in the United Kingdom under Margaret Thatcher and in the United States under Ronald Reagan.
main idea
The key idea of the book The Road to Slavery by Friedrich von Hayek is that the planned regulation of the economy irreversibly leads to the growth of socialist ideology. And this, in turn, is the first significant step towards totalitarianism.
According to Hayek himself, Nazism and fascism reached their peak, becoming not a reaction to socialist tendencies, but their inevitable development.
The Austrian philosopher and economist was convinced that the rejection of economic freedoms for the sake of central planning and collectivism leads to the deprivation of citizens not only economic, but also fundamental human freedoms. This he called the "road to slavery."
The language of this book, despite its deep and complex content, is as simple as possible, which allowed it to be translated into several dozens of languages, the inhabitants of the entire planet were able to get acquainted with the ideas presented in it.
Summary
The book begins with the chapter “The Rejected Path,” in which Hayek gives his interpretation of recent historical events. The Road to Slavery was published in 1944, when the world war was drawing to a close. The economist notes that this war became not only a military conflict, into which almost all European countries were drawn, but also the ideological struggle that took place within the framework of European civilization.
In The Road to Slavery, Friedrich von Hayek argues that it is precisely the rejection of economic freedoms that leads to the formation of totalitarianism. By the end of the 19th century, confidence in liberal values was declining all over the world , which was caused by the desire for quick changes, the desire to destroy the old world to build a new one.
In the chapter "The Great Utopia", the author describes how, under the banner of freedom in the world, liberalism is replaced by socialism. Socialism, which Hayek initially considered a totalitarian trend, was the last attempt of the leaders of the French Revolution to bring it to the end, reorganizing and deliberately establishing "spiritual power."
The book “The Road to Slavery” by Friedrich von Hayek is divided into 15 chapters, each of which contains a fundamental statement. In the chapter "Individualism and Collectivism", the author notes that the main misfortune of the socialists is the belief in two incompatible things - organization and freedom. The term itself implies social protection of the population, equality and universal justice. But in order to achieve this ideal, the principles of a planned economy are applied.
Liberalism, however, presupposes the most free competition, the prevention of monopolies, the creation of a powerful legislative base, the fight against corruption and fraud, ignorance and abuse.
According to Hayek, hatred of competition in any form becomes common to all socialists.
Inevitable planning
"Is planning inevitable?" - the author asks such a question in the title of the fourth chapter. Hayek in The Road to Slavery tries to examine in detail the assertion that due to the development of technology, the market ultimately turned out to be monopolized.
One of the key arguments for the need for planning is that, due to monopolization, there are only two options left: either transfer production control to the government, or begin to control private monopolies.
According to Hayek, monopolies most often arise because of secret agreements and direct support of large government officials, and do not become the result of some kind of economic development. By eliminating this obstacle, ideal conditions can be created to stimulate competition.
In the book The Road to Slavery, Friedrich August von Hayek writes that the only way out in this situation is decentralization. Direct control should be abolished in favor of coordination. The maximum may be a system of measures, which is necessary to coordinate the actions of other market entities.
In the chapter "Planning and Democracy," Hayek notes that communism, collectivism, fascism differ only for their ultimate goals. Common to them is the conscious organization of production forces designed to perform a specific task. Starting to build their work according to a certain plan, it is important to distinguish between the needs of each individual, bringing them into a single system of values that is subordinate to the state idea.
In the book The Road to Slavery, Friedrich Hayek emphasizes that freedom is not destroyed by the dictatorship in itself, but by planning, which inevitably leads to dictatorship, as it becomes an essential tool in large-scale planning society.
"Plan and law"
The chapter "Plan and Law" is devoted to the differences that exist between the so-called "decisions on the merits" adopted by the planning authorities and formal law. The difference between them is exactly the same as in the rules of the road and instructions on which way to move on.
In the first version, they do not correspond with specific people and goals, and in the second they are aimed at specific individuals, urging them to work for a given goal.
In his book, The Road to Slavery, von Hayek emphasizes that in order to control entire nations, a group of experts or the figure of a certain commander in chief is needed, in whose hands all power is not connected with democratic procedures. He comes to this conclusion in the chapter "Economic control and totalitarianism."
He determines the loss of freedom of choice in situations where, instead of a specific monetary reward, citizens begin to receive public posts, distinctions and privileges. Economic life is under total control, a person loses the opportunity to take at least a step, not declaring publicly about his goals and intentions. All human life is under control. The same picture, as in the Road to Slavery by F. Hayek, is described several years later by Orwell in the novel 1984.
"Who will win?"
The essence of the chapter "Who is whom?" lies in the fact that, having lost private property, society is deprived of freedom. At the same time, real resources are in the hands of the state or some influential structures.
The state’s production planning ultimately leads to total control over the produced resources, the author notes, and this significantly limits market relations. When they reach a critical point, it becomes necessary to distribute them until they become comprehensive.
All this leads to the fact that the individual loses his job, becoming dependent on the decision of the authorities, who determine his place in society for him, where he will work and how to live. When the state assumes such functions, the only real form of power remains the power of officials or bureaucrats, that is, those people who have a coercive apparatus.
"Freedom and security"
In this chapter of The Road to Slavery, Hayek dwells on the issue of discipline, which inevitably arises when the state engages in planning for an entire nation.
A public institution that illustrates a planned society, the author calls the army. Employees and their responsibilities are determined by the command, and if there is a shortage of resources, then everyone finds themselves on a starvation diet. Economic security in this system is guaranteed exclusively by the military, but it is associated with the loss of personal freedom.
"Why do the worst come to power?"
The part of the book “The Road to Slavery”, the brief content of which is given in this article, entitled this rhetorical question, aroused the greatest interest among readers.
In this chapter, he tries to deal with the assertion that totalitarianism is not bad in itself, but it is spoiled by historical figures who are at the head. In his evidence and reflection, the author convinces the reader that this form of power is incompatible with the values of the individual inherent in Western civilizations.
If the state or society is placed above the individual, then only those whose interests coincide with collective ones remain his true members. A prerequisite for the dictator to be in power is the search for the enemy (internal or external) and a merciless fight against him.
Where the highest goal is met, where they believe that all means are good for its achievement, there are no ethical rules and norms. Cruelty for the sake of fulfilling a duty is justified, collectivists consider the values and rights of an individual as an obstacle to achieving the final result. Being loyal to their ideal, they are ready to commit even immoral and low deeds. When the leader himself establishes the values, his subordinates are freed from moral convictions. The only thing required of them is to obey implicitly.
They are no longer afraid of dirty work, the implementation of such tasks becomes a ticket to the top of the career ladder, to real power. People who retain internal ideals refuse to fulfill it, only the most unprincipled ones go for it.
Hayek refers to such organizations as the SD and SS, the Ministry of Propaganda and the Gestapo in the Third Reich, as well as similar services in the Soviet Union and Italy, where employees are primarily required to be cruel, to be intimidating, to monitor and deceive.
The End of Truth
In the End of Truth chapter, Hayek writes that coercion is not enough to serve a single purpose. It is necessary that the people believe in the importance and necessity of this goal. This can only be achieved through propaganda. We have to substitute concepts, because we have to convince not only of the importance of the goal itself, but also of the methods for achieving it.
The meaning of words in the conditions of state propaganda may vary depending on external or internal circumstances. Criticism and doubt are suppressed. Total control over information is introduced, which affects even absolutely apolitical areas.
The roots of Nazism
Hayek introduces the concept of the socialist roots of Nazism, demonstrating how close these doctrines are to one another.
For example, he quotes and works by many leaders of National Socialism, who began their political careers as Marxists.
Ideal goals
Hayek argues that in modern society, people often refuse to obey the laws of the market. He is even ready to sacrifice his freedoms in order to obtain effective economic security.
All this leads to short-sighted measures that bring only harm and lead to totalitarianism.
"What will the world be like after the war?"
This is the last chapter of this book. In anticipation of the impending end of World War II, the author notes the inadmissibility of the formation of supranational planning bodies.
According to the philosopher, international rule can become a prototype of an undisguised dictatorship, embodying the ideas of National Socialism on the largest scales. This form will lead to global tension. The main thing is to prevent developed nations from forcibly imposing their ideas of morality on others. In this case, they risk being in a position where they themselves have to decide on immoral acts, the author concludes.