CHOOSE
Paperback
eBook

click on thumbnail to zoom

Anatomy of the State

Average Rating:
Murray Rothbard was known as the state's greatest living enemy, and this is his most succinct and powerful statement on the topic, an exhibit A in how he came to wear that designation proudly. He shows how the state wrecks freedom, destroys civilization, and threatens all lives and property and social well being.
 
Price: $5.00
Quantity:
 
  • TO SUPPORT MISES!

Description  more details

 

This gives a succinct account of Rothbard’s view of the state. Following Franz Oppenheimer and Albert Jay Nock, Rothbard regards the state as a predatory entity. It does not produce anything but rather steals resources from those engaged in production. In applying this view to American history, Rothbard makes use of the work of John C. Calhoun

How can an organization of this type sustain itself? It must engage in propaganda to induce popular support for its policies. Court intellectuals play a key role here, and Rothbard cites as an example of ideological mystification the work of the influential legal theorist Charles Black, Jr., on the way the Supreme Court has become a revered institution.

 
 
 

Reviews

Average Rating:
(based on 7 reviews)

Showing 1 - 5 of 7 Reviews:

RatingReviewerReview
by Andy
on 6/2/2016
from Wyoming
This is a great with no fluff
This is a excellent essay with no fluff and filler the first time I opened it up the content jumped out at me I related other information to all the concepts in the book and and couldn't put it  down tell it was done... wow. I picked up another 5 copies and after that when i didn't get them back i picked up another 25 copies I keep handing them out to questioning minds. The nice thing about this is the SIZE, only one person has told me they haven't finished it. try that with Human Action it took me half a year to finish.
by Michael
on 10/3/2010
from Tamarac
good little essay by Rothbard
Some background on this essay.

First published in "Rampart Journal" back in 1965 and reprinted in "The Libertarian Alternative" edited by Tibor Machan.
by Jamie
on 5/19/2010
from Chester
Wonderful
Just superb in its clarity in explaining the state and why its existence is quite frankly just stupid.  Very short so if you thinking about it you should probably get the collection of essays in Egalitarianism a revolt against nature.  But once again just pure awesome and engaging till the very end.  
by Richard
on 11/17/2009
from Nottingham
An Anarchist Classic
This is an essential Rothbard read. Mr Libertarian rejects the democratic myth that "we are the state," and instead directs us to those that manage, maintain, and benefit from the ruling aparatus. He explains how the state is an essentially paraistic set of social arrangements that feed off exploitation, via "the politicial means" to wealth, rather than "the economic means," and how it relies on the efforts of opinion makers to ensure its continued existence, through developing a statist hegemony that lovers of liberty must reverse. More importantly, though, Rothbard then proceeds to demonstrate how state power can never be limited, for so long as a branch of government has an exclusive monopoly on deciding whether the actions of any other branch are "constitutional," it will always tend to do so in its own favour.

This reproduction of the classic essay is only flawed, though, by not being anarchist enough! The editors should have included Rothbard's essay "Society Without The State
by RR
on 11/13/2009
from NYC
the best
This little essay will change the way you look at the world. pick it up. well worth it.
12
Review and Rate this Item


ISBN 9781933550480
Publisher Ludwig von Mises Institute
Publication Date 8/1/2009
Binding PB
Page Length 60
Dimensions 4.25x7
Notes pocket book size

Anatomy of the State - Digital Book
Murray Rothbard was known as the state's greatest living enemy, and this is his most succinct and powerful statement on the topic, an exhibit A in how...
Price: $3.75
Libertarian Anarchy: Against the State
Political philosophy is dominated by a myth, the myth of the necessity of the state.
Price: $24.95
Feardom: How Politicians Exploit Your Emotions and What You Can Do to Stop Them
Manufactured fear has created widespread casualties. We need an antidote.
Price: $10.95
Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature and Other Essays
To enforce equality is to ensure a society that can function at only a primitive level.
Price: $14.95
Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature and Other Essays - Digital Book
Something is keeping the world from embracing liberty, and that something is ideology.
Price: $3.75
Busting Myths about the State and the Libertarian Alternative
This book answers all the tough questions libertarians get from statists, and is perfect for ripping apart purported justifications for the stat...
Price: $10.95
Tuttle Twins and the Fate of the Future
In a world where dystopian fiction might seem too close to reality, Ethan and Emily learn that the fate of the future depends on thinking of way...
Price: $9.99
No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority
The greatest case for anarchist political philosophy ever written.
Price: $6.00
Myth of the Social Contract: Refuting Common Arguments for Government Authority
A very short but very powerful book. Perfect for giving to you friends or family who believe in a political social contract.
Price: $7.00