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Mises: The Last Knight of Liberalism
Here is a magisterial book for today and the ages, one that inspires awe for both the subject and the author who accomplished the seemingly a sweeping intellectual biography, constructed from original sources, of the 20th century's most astonishing dissident intellectual. It has the apparatus of a great scholarly work but the drama of a classic novel. Ludwig von Mises’s colleagues in Europe called him the “last knight of liberalism” because he was the champion of an ideal of liberty they consider dead and gone in an age of central planning and socialism of all varieties. During his lifetime, they were largely correct. And thus the subtitle of this book. But he was not deterred in any not in his scientific work, not in his writing or publishing, and not in his relentless fight against every form of statism. Born in 1881, he taught in Europe and the Americas during his century, and died in 1973 before the dawn of a new epoch that would validate his life and ideals in the minds of millions of people around the world. The last knight of liberalism triumphed.
1143 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 28, 2010
Excellent! A few minor quibbles, but overall just fantastic. The author really, really knows his economics and does a first rate historical biography. His writing style is really fun. I loved the details he unearthed about Mises' life - especially his early years and during and after WWI.
Mises is even more heroic than I thought... and I've been a huge fan of his for over 30 years! If Hülsmann is right, it looks like Mises was willing to risk getting sent back to the Russian or Italian front for the Austrian army TWICE for sticking to his economic predictions and prescriptions for post-war Austrian policy.
He was also much more influential in the Austrian and indeed general German speaking social science academic community of scholars than I had really appreciated.
This book is a must for those who appreciate Mises already, or who are at least curious about this amazing man of ideas.
Mises is even more heroic than I thought... and I've been a huge fan of his for over 30 years! If Hülsmann is right, it looks like Mises was willing to risk getting sent back to the Russian or Italian front for the Austrian army TWICE for sticking to his economic predictions and prescriptions for post-war Austrian policy.
He was also much more influential in the Austrian and indeed general German speaking social science academic community of scholars than I had really appreciated.
This book is a must for those who appreciate Mises already, or who are at least curious about this amazing man of ideas.
January 5, 2011
Ludvig von Mises is arguably the greatest unsung hero of the 20th Century, if not all time. I doubt if 5% of the American people have ever heard of him. The three primary reasons for this shameful neglect are clear; first, his chosen profession was economics, "the dismal science" that puts that 95% majority to sleep, if they think of it at all; second, his ideas and economic theories expounded the notion that government intervention in economic affairs is always counterproductive, putting him at odds with all the statists and their sycophants in his profession; and most importantly, because history is written by the winners, and Mises fought his entire life on the losing side of laissez-faire capitalism and liberalism. In spite of that, this excellent work by Jorg Guido Hulsmann, along with the tireless efforts of enlightened people such as Ron Paul and the scholars of the Mises Institute, may yet exhume the great man's ideas and put an end to the destructive economic policies of governments and central banks, the world over.
Mises was the contemporary of many famous men and women who were born in the late 1800's, the last hurrah of the laissez-faire capitalist era that spurred the advancement of civilization like no other previous revolution, lifting tens or hundreds of millions out of poverty in the process, and peacefully besides. The process itself was shrouded in mystery; classical economists like Adam Smith ascribed the uncanny success of laissez faire using terms like "the invisible hand" of capitalism, the unseen and unplanned decisions of millions of individuals that force competitive pricing and all the other virtues of the free market. But Smith and Ricardo and the other classicists had an incomplete understanding of this wonderful system, and so the Austrian School of economics arose and took the lead in developing theory to explain it. In a long and illustrious career, Mises rose to the top of that school, and became the leading economic spokesman in the fight against the various socialist and interventionist policies that sprang up like murderous zombies in every nation: fascism, Nazism, communism, progressivism and New Deal semi-socialism, The Great Society, and all the other "third way" blends of welfare/warfare statism that have plagued the world for 150 years.
After painting the backdrop of Mises' youth and meteoric rise in academia, the development of his revolutionary theories about the business cycle, the nature of money and credit and many other economic ideas, and his devastating critiques of socialism, Prof. Hulsmann tells the tense, dramatic story of his struggle to save his native Austria from the Democratic Socialist policies after World War I, and then against the National Socialists under Hitler. Then, his subsequent escape from Austria just days before the Nazis seized his Vienna residence and most of his worldly possessions; his time in Switzerland with his wife, Margit, in the early days of World War II, and his final flight to America, where he lived and worked for another 33 years, dying at the age of 92. It was during this time that he produced his magnum opus, "Human Action", which clarified, expanded and tied together his earlier work and introduced a new science to the world that he called "praxeology".
Praxeology -- the study of human action -- is a branch of the social sciences somewhat akin to psychology. Mises contended that the Keynesian and other quasi-mathematical approaches to economic policy are wrong because man does not behave in ways that can be explained by mathematical and physical laws, unlike the processes of the natural world. This was one of his greatest insights, a fact borne out by the universal failure of planned economies that rest on the idea that economic calculations -- price, supply, demand, etc. -- can be made by a priestly elite who would eliminate the supposed inequities and shortcomings of capitalism through their superior wisdom. This idea is, regrettably, still very much alive today.
For me, "The Last Knight of Liberalism" got better the further I got into it, especially the American phase of the biography. Mises, like Ayn Rand before him, was shocked and disappointed by the reality of Depression and New Deal America, which had embraced many of the failed ideologies and economic fallacies of Europe by that time. But Mises was an intellectual magnet who drew around him the Old Right "Remant" as well as budding stars of the libertarian movement such as Murray Rothbard and Ralph Raico. I knew their stories long before I knew much about Mises, and so I could "relate" more to the story from that point on.
This book would be a difficult read for anyone who is not well-versed in economic theory. This, of course, is unavoidable in a biography about an economist. That's a shame, because for a biography written in English by a German who lives in France about an Austrian, it is extremely well-written and accessible (in the non-economic discussion, at least). I would urge interested readers to at least do some Wikipedia reading about the Austrian school, and spend some time at www.mises.org to get some background, if they haven't already.
Mises was the contemporary of many famous men and women who were born in the late 1800's, the last hurrah of the laissez-faire capitalist era that spurred the advancement of civilization like no other previous revolution, lifting tens or hundreds of millions out of poverty in the process, and peacefully besides. The process itself was shrouded in mystery; classical economists like Adam Smith ascribed the uncanny success of laissez faire using terms like "the invisible hand" of capitalism, the unseen and unplanned decisions of millions of individuals that force competitive pricing and all the other virtues of the free market. But Smith and Ricardo and the other classicists had an incomplete understanding of this wonderful system, and so the Austrian School of economics arose and took the lead in developing theory to explain it. In a long and illustrious career, Mises rose to the top of that school, and became the leading economic spokesman in the fight against the various socialist and interventionist policies that sprang up like murderous zombies in every nation: fascism, Nazism, communism, progressivism and New Deal semi-socialism, The Great Society, and all the other "third way" blends of welfare/warfare statism that have plagued the world for 150 years.
After painting the backdrop of Mises' youth and meteoric rise in academia, the development of his revolutionary theories about the business cycle, the nature of money and credit and many other economic ideas, and his devastating critiques of socialism, Prof. Hulsmann tells the tense, dramatic story of his struggle to save his native Austria from the Democratic Socialist policies after World War I, and then against the National Socialists under Hitler. Then, his subsequent escape from Austria just days before the Nazis seized his Vienna residence and most of his worldly possessions; his time in Switzerland with his wife, Margit, in the early days of World War II, and his final flight to America, where he lived and worked for another 33 years, dying at the age of 92. It was during this time that he produced his magnum opus, "Human Action", which clarified, expanded and tied together his earlier work and introduced a new science to the world that he called "praxeology".
Praxeology -- the study of human action -- is a branch of the social sciences somewhat akin to psychology. Mises contended that the Keynesian and other quasi-mathematical approaches to economic policy are wrong because man does not behave in ways that can be explained by mathematical and physical laws, unlike the processes of the natural world. This was one of his greatest insights, a fact borne out by the universal failure of planned economies that rest on the idea that economic calculations -- price, supply, demand, etc. -- can be made by a priestly elite who would eliminate the supposed inequities and shortcomings of capitalism through their superior wisdom. This idea is, regrettably, still very much alive today.
For me, "The Last Knight of Liberalism" got better the further I got into it, especially the American phase of the biography. Mises, like Ayn Rand before him, was shocked and disappointed by the reality of Depression and New Deal America, which had embraced many of the failed ideologies and economic fallacies of Europe by that time. But Mises was an intellectual magnet who drew around him the Old Right "Remant" as well as budding stars of the libertarian movement such as Murray Rothbard and Ralph Raico. I knew their stories long before I knew much about Mises, and so I could "relate" more to the story from that point on.
This book would be a difficult read for anyone who is not well-versed in economic theory. This, of course, is unavoidable in a biography about an economist. That's a shame, because for a biography written in English by a German who lives in France about an Austrian, it is extremely well-written and accessible (in the non-economic discussion, at least). I would urge interested readers to at least do some Wikipedia reading about the Austrian school, and spend some time at www.mises.org to get some background, if they haven't already.
January 31, 2021
A beautiful, monumental tribute to Ludwig von Mises's life and work, one of the foremost accomplishments of the Mises Institute.
This book is much more than a story of Mises's successes and sorrows. It is also a wide-ranging introduction to all of his books and thoughts. And a complete course on Austrian economics.
To the general, modern readers, even to those acquainted with the Austrian and libertarian movements, Mises is probably seen as an outcast from the old classical world, who decided to keep on fighting to the end of his life for the prospects of liberty and civilization. His life in America was certainly more that of the icon of a grassroots movement than that of a foremost intellectual with practical influence in the actual course of events and policies.
Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman or Ludwig Erhard were probably much more directly influential than Mises in changing the tide from outright socialism in the second half of the last century.
Mises thus served in America as a sort of Northern Star for those who would not compromise for middle-of-the-road concessions. Perhaps I am underestimating his practical influence, specially in the first years of the Mont Pèlerin Society, but I think that an impartial observer would come to the conclusion that, if liberty only had Mises and the classical liberals to stand upon, then the tide would never have changed. America was just too big, Mises was already too old and intransigent and his crossing of the Atlantic had occurred in the worst possible circumstances.
Now, this is not to be seen as a critique of Mises. I really love this man and what he stood for. The above is just meant to serve as contrast to what the reader can find in the present book regarding Mises's activities up to the early 1930's. Then, he was at the top of his practical influence. He served as a foremost economic counselor to many Austrian governments and institutions, he almost single-handedly avoided a Bolshevik revolution and even harsher hyper-inflationary events. The man even went touring abroad trying to gather foreign investors to his country. And, after his writings from the 20's, he was actually considered one of the foremost economists in continental Europe.
His voice was taken into account by the foremost national leaders of his country - and for the same reason he also avoided putting in print his most frightful thoughts regarding the state of Austrian currency and finance, for he knew that such would immediately have dire consequences in terms of foreign perception. During WWI, he was continuously sent to the battle front, in a disguised attempt to have him killed. In contrast, do you think the American Presidents of the 50's and 60's could care less about Mises? They probably didn't even know who he was.
This means that all Austrians and libertarians would do well to study closely the story of Mises's Vienna years. From the age of 30 to the age of 50, he was tirelessly battling to influence his country's leadership. He did not stay in his couch just talking to some fringe radicals.
I am aware that in a country like the United States, with 300 million people, reaching out for the President is not really the easiest thing to do. But this should at least be closely taken into account by Austrians and libertarians in smaller countries, where leadership is much easier to engage, where a small group of people can more easily make some difference. Mises's legacy must not be that of outcast anarcho-capitalists, however valuable they may be to the movement, but instead that of principled classical liberals that engage their countries' intellectual and political leaders and strive to make a practical difference in the actual course of society. Hulsmann would probably call this "neo-liberalism", and Mises certainly seems to have grown more radical throughout the years - but it is the earlier part of his life that we must also start to remember and emulate.
This book is much more than a story of Mises's successes and sorrows. It is also a wide-ranging introduction to all of his books and thoughts. And a complete course on Austrian economics.
To the general, modern readers, even to those acquainted with the Austrian and libertarian movements, Mises is probably seen as an outcast from the old classical world, who decided to keep on fighting to the end of his life for the prospects of liberty and civilization. His life in America was certainly more that of the icon of a grassroots movement than that of a foremost intellectual with practical influence in the actual course of events and policies.
Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman or Ludwig Erhard were probably much more directly influential than Mises in changing the tide from outright socialism in the second half of the last century.
Mises thus served in America as a sort of Northern Star for those who would not compromise for middle-of-the-road concessions. Perhaps I am underestimating his practical influence, specially in the first years of the Mont Pèlerin Society, but I think that an impartial observer would come to the conclusion that, if liberty only had Mises and the classical liberals to stand upon, then the tide would never have changed. America was just too big, Mises was already too old and intransigent and his crossing of the Atlantic had occurred in the worst possible circumstances.
Now, this is not to be seen as a critique of Mises. I really love this man and what he stood for. The above is just meant to serve as contrast to what the reader can find in the present book regarding Mises's activities up to the early 1930's. Then, he was at the top of his practical influence. He served as a foremost economic counselor to many Austrian governments and institutions, he almost single-handedly avoided a Bolshevik revolution and even harsher hyper-inflationary events. The man even went touring abroad trying to gather foreign investors to his country. And, after his writings from the 20's, he was actually considered one of the foremost economists in continental Europe.
His voice was taken into account by the foremost national leaders of his country - and for the same reason he also avoided putting in print his most frightful thoughts regarding the state of Austrian currency and finance, for he knew that such would immediately have dire consequences in terms of foreign perception. During WWI, he was continuously sent to the battle front, in a disguised attempt to have him killed. In contrast, do you think the American Presidents of the 50's and 60's could care less about Mises? They probably didn't even know who he was.
This means that all Austrians and libertarians would do well to study closely the story of Mises's Vienna years. From the age of 30 to the age of 50, he was tirelessly battling to influence his country's leadership. He did not stay in his couch just talking to some fringe radicals.
I am aware that in a country like the United States, with 300 million people, reaching out for the President is not really the easiest thing to do. But this should at least be closely taken into account by Austrians and libertarians in smaller countries, where leadership is much easier to engage, where a small group of people can more easily make some difference. Mises's legacy must not be that of outcast anarcho-capitalists, however valuable they may be to the movement, but instead that of principled classical liberals that engage their countries' intellectual and political leaders and strive to make a practical difference in the actual course of society. Hulsmann would probably call this "neo-liberalism", and Mises certainly seems to have grown more radical throughout the years - but it is the earlier part of his life that we must also start to remember and emulate.
August 5, 2020
Amazing!
September 29, 2015
An excellent and comprehensive biography of Ludwig von Mises, one of the greatest economists of all time.
The book covers a lot of territory and runs to a dangerous length. The bulkiness of the prose might scare off some readers, but the length is not necessarily a fault since the life of a Ludwig von Mises is easily worth a thousand pages. (And there aren't many competitors out there!)
Unfortunately the book is written from a devoted libertarian and right-wing perspective, so it is sometimes unfair to people like Keynes and even Hayek and the Chicago School economists. This reinforces the idea - unfortunately not only a myth - that followers of Mises are invested in the maintenance of a closed cult. This is especially true of his American followers, who are promoting Mises as a conservative libertarian, although it would be fairer to say that he was a classical liberal in the 19th century sense of the word.
However, the man himself, the nobleman Mises, was a paragon of fairness and open-mindedness, as the book shows. His utilitarian case for capitalism went hand in hand with a penchant for rigorous - almost maddeningly so - deductive logical reasoning. His central philosophical ideas, that are expressed in his economic, epistemological and philosophical writings, are revealed to be complex, rigorous, systematic and still alive. And for non-devoted non-libertarians, the glorious life of Mises provides a fascinating look at Viennese, European and American history. So there are many reasons to dip into this amazing tale.
For these reasons, and despite its weaknesses, the book deserves its place as the go-to Mises biography.
The book covers a lot of territory and runs to a dangerous length. The bulkiness of the prose might scare off some readers, but the length is not necessarily a fault since the life of a Ludwig von Mises is easily worth a thousand pages. (And there aren't many competitors out there!)
Unfortunately the book is written from a devoted libertarian and right-wing perspective, so it is sometimes unfair to people like Keynes and even Hayek and the Chicago School economists. This reinforces the idea - unfortunately not only a myth - that followers of Mises are invested in the maintenance of a closed cult. This is especially true of his American followers, who are promoting Mises as a conservative libertarian, although it would be fairer to say that he was a classical liberal in the 19th century sense of the word.
However, the man himself, the nobleman Mises, was a paragon of fairness and open-mindedness, as the book shows. His utilitarian case for capitalism went hand in hand with a penchant for rigorous - almost maddeningly so - deductive logical reasoning. His central philosophical ideas, that are expressed in his economic, epistemological and philosophical writings, are revealed to be complex, rigorous, systematic and still alive. And for non-devoted non-libertarians, the glorious life of Mises provides a fascinating look at Viennese, European and American history. So there are many reasons to dip into this amazing tale.
For these reasons, and despite its weaknesses, the book deserves its place as the go-to Mises biography.
November 11, 2024
Esta es una fascinante biografía de uno de los principales representantes de la Escuela Austriaca de Economía y uno de los economistas más destacados del siglo XX. Mises no solo se caracterizó por ser un pensador profundo sobre la naturaleza de la acción humana —objeto central de la ciencia económica—, sino también por ser un defensor incansable de la libertad y un crítico riguroso de la intervención estatal, incluso en tiempos en que el pensamiento dominante iba en la dirección opuesta. Cuando el socialismo parecía haberse consolidado como el sistema social y económico preferido, no solo por la mayoría de la sociedad y los líderes políticos, sino también por gran parte del ámbito académico, Mises mantuvo su integridad y coherencia tanto intelectual como personal.
Uno de los períodos más admirables de la vida de Mises fueron sus primeros años en Estados Unidos, tras haber escapado milagrosamente de la persecución nazi. A pesar de su sólida reputación intelectual, y ya con casi 60 años, tuvo que reanudar su labor académica con muy poco reconocimiento y en condiciones financieras extremadamente precarias. Curiosamente, durante ese tiempo surgió la posibilidad de mudarse a México por invitación de Luis Montes de Oca, quien fue secretario de Hacienda y director general del Banco de México. Quizá la historia de la ciencia económica habría sido muy distinta si Mises hubiese aceptado la oferta. Es posible que México hoy fuera un país más próspero, habiendo estado más directamente expuesto a sus ideas; sin embargo, también es probable que el mundo hubiera perdido a uno de los economistas más brillantes de su generación y su influencia intelectual y académica a nivel global hubiera sido mucho más limitada.
Como intelectual, Mises hizo importantes aportaciones en el estudio de los ciclos económicos, el papel del dinero y el crédito, y la metodología de la ciencia económica. Entre otras cosas, a través de su obra, podemos entender con mayor claridad cuál es el objeto de estudio de la economía, sus aportaciones al conocimiento y su diferenciación respecto de otras ciencias, como la psicología y la ética (fuente de gran confusión aún en la actualidad). Para Mises, la economía estudia los actos conscientes que los seres humanos realizamos para alcanzar determinados objetivos mediante ciertos medios a nuestra disposición (de ahí el título de su obra más importante, "La Acción Humana", un clásico de lectura obligada). Así, la economía se distingue de la psicología —ya que no le interesan los procesos mentales como creencias, sentimientos y emociones, es decir, el "por qué" actúa una persona, sino el "cómo" actúa— y de la ética, puesto que a la economía le interesa examinar qué tan adecuados son los medios utilizados para lograr los fines, sin juzgar la bondad o maldad de esos fines ni de los medios empleados.
Una de sus mayores contribuciones (extremadamente vigente en la actualidad) fue su demostración de las fallas inherentes al socialismo y al intervencionismo gubernamental en general. Mises mostró que en un sistema donde no existe propiedad privada de los medios de producción, sería imposible la formación de precios en el mercado; y son justamente los precios los que permiten a los agentes económicos tomar decisiones racionales sobre el mejor uso de los recursos escasos para satisfacer las necesidades ilimitadas. En otras palabras, bajo el socialismo, el cálculo económico racional es imposible, lo que hace inviable sostener una economía compleja, como la moderna, más allá de los niveles de subsistencia de una sociedad primitiva. Por esta razón, cada intento de implantación del socialismo conduce, tarde o temprano, a la miseria.
Uno de los períodos más admirables de la vida de Mises fueron sus primeros años en Estados Unidos, tras haber escapado milagrosamente de la persecución nazi. A pesar de su sólida reputación intelectual, y ya con casi 60 años, tuvo que reanudar su labor académica con muy poco reconocimiento y en condiciones financieras extremadamente precarias. Curiosamente, durante ese tiempo surgió la posibilidad de mudarse a México por invitación de Luis Montes de Oca, quien fue secretario de Hacienda y director general del Banco de México. Quizá la historia de la ciencia económica habría sido muy distinta si Mises hubiese aceptado la oferta. Es posible que México hoy fuera un país más próspero, habiendo estado más directamente expuesto a sus ideas; sin embargo, también es probable que el mundo hubiera perdido a uno de los economistas más brillantes de su generación y su influencia intelectual y académica a nivel global hubiera sido mucho más limitada.
Como intelectual, Mises hizo importantes aportaciones en el estudio de los ciclos económicos, el papel del dinero y el crédito, y la metodología de la ciencia económica. Entre otras cosas, a través de su obra, podemos entender con mayor claridad cuál es el objeto de estudio de la economía, sus aportaciones al conocimiento y su diferenciación respecto de otras ciencias, como la psicología y la ética (fuente de gran confusión aún en la actualidad). Para Mises, la economía estudia los actos conscientes que los seres humanos realizamos para alcanzar determinados objetivos mediante ciertos medios a nuestra disposición (de ahí el título de su obra más importante, "La Acción Humana", un clásico de lectura obligada). Así, la economía se distingue de la psicología —ya que no le interesan los procesos mentales como creencias, sentimientos y emociones, es decir, el "por qué" actúa una persona, sino el "cómo" actúa— y de la ética, puesto que a la economía le interesa examinar qué tan adecuados son los medios utilizados para lograr los fines, sin juzgar la bondad o maldad de esos fines ni de los medios empleados.
Una de sus mayores contribuciones (extremadamente vigente en la actualidad) fue su demostración de las fallas inherentes al socialismo y al intervencionismo gubernamental en general. Mises mostró que en un sistema donde no existe propiedad privada de los medios de producción, sería imposible la formación de precios en el mercado; y son justamente los precios los que permiten a los agentes económicos tomar decisiones racionales sobre el mejor uso de los recursos escasos para satisfacer las necesidades ilimitadas. En otras palabras, bajo el socialismo, el cálculo económico racional es imposible, lo que hace inviable sostener una economía compleja, como la moderna, más allá de los niveles de subsistencia de una sociedad primitiva. Por esta razón, cada intento de implantación del socialismo conduce, tarde o temprano, a la miseria.
February 24, 2024
Ludwig von Mises is a great, great, man, and Hulsmann's biography is a great one, too. This is one of the month-defining books I've read, and I am all the more thankful I have read it as I was suffering from a great depression, having been rejected by a woman I have sincerely wanted. Once I saw how Mises talked to his wife, who gave him ultimatums, and I quote from the book:
To which he responded:
After reading these words, I stopped thinking altogether about the woman I cherished so dearly, but who gave me no attention nor even met me midway. I have been sobered up. As Aristotle teaches us, a happy man is one worthy of emulation. Mises lived the life of many unhappy men, often poor, unappreciated, without employment for many years, targeted and pursued by Hitler and his minions; but he harbored his happy constitution nonetheless.
This biography, of which I exposed but a glimpse of, is worthy of reading, for the man within is a happy man.
Yet Margit felt she had already been waiting for quite a while and was growing impatient. She told him she would not wait a single day more and pressed him for
a decision.
To which he responded:
“Today or never! I will not allow you to postpone the decision by even a couple of hours.”
No loving woman talks that way. A single warm word from you would have made me happy, would have bound me to you forever. But you said no such word. You did not meet me as a loving woman, but as a cold adversary. It was the greatest disappointment of my life. I had hoped to find love and goodness in you, and I found hardness, uncompromising hardness. I had already overcome all prior apprehensions, which I have not hidden from you, because I thought true love was stronger than the difficulties that stood in the way of our union.
After reading these words, I stopped thinking altogether about the woman I cherished so dearly, but who gave me no attention nor even met me midway. I have been sobered up. As Aristotle teaches us, a happy man is one worthy of emulation. Mises lived the life of many unhappy men, often poor, unappreciated, without employment for many years, targeted and pursued by Hitler and his minions; but he harbored his happy constitution nonetheless.
This biography, of which I exposed but a glimpse of, is worthy of reading, for the man within is a happy man.
October 25, 2017
Just finished Jorg Hulmsann's "Mises: The Last Knight of Liberalism" and came away very impressed. It took me a little over a month to finish, and there were some segments of hero worship that edged on the distracting, but Ludwig von Mises has earned a posthumous fan in the form of this student.
A- (91)
A- (91)
December 22, 2020
If you have the want to know and understand economics, both the theory and from where it comes, but the idea of reading and studying the topic seems daunting, this is the one and only book you need. Part biography, part histor, both are used to explain economics and keep you involved in the very human and heroic story of Ludwig von Mises.
August 23, 2019
Very thorough. Almost to a fault.
February 7, 2022
An epic biography, but probably only for historians and fanboys
August 27, 2025
Great biography of Mises, with excellent presentation of profound concepts. It is a detailed, year-by-year, account of Mises’ life.
July 26, 2012
Wow! Mises was indeed a very interesting and inspirational man. He was very well educated yet humble and open minded enough to evolve his own way of thinking. Although he started out sympathetic to interventionism, his views changed and he became one of the greatest advocates of freedom and liberty the world has known. Mises stood by the ideals of economic non-interventionism at a time when interventionism was all the rage, be it socialism, fascism, communism, or keynesianism. Mises listened and considered other points of view, but stood fast to his principles. In doing so he became the inspiration for the Austrian school of economics, not to mention many of today's great libertarian and minarchist thinkers.
June 6, 2014
A well written and researched biography of not just Mises, but of the whole Austrian school of Economics.
My only complaint is that I kept waiting for a fairly in depth analysis of Human Action, but the author kind of glossed over it in less detail than most of the works covered. On the biography side, I enjoyed learning about the heartfelt friendship between Mises and Hayek.
My only complaint is that I kept waiting for a fairly in depth analysis of Human Action, but the author kind of glossed over it in less detail than most of the works covered. On the biography side, I enjoyed learning about the heartfelt friendship between Mises and Hayek.
December 5, 2012
I am listening to this. Sometimes hard to understand the readers accent which is annoying. More than a biography of Mises, it's also a history of Austrian economics of the pre-WWI and II Europe.
3-16-12 Have to take a break. I can't pay attention enough to listen at night.
3-16-12 Have to take a break. I can't pay attention enough to listen at night.
July 28, 2008
What a story! Remarkable man.Remarkable book. At 1100 pages or so, was still too short.
April 6, 2011
Spectacular! Very readable, and so much more than a biography. It's also an economics lesson and a history lesson on classical liberalism and Central/Eastern Europe.
March 5, 2015
Excelente libro que recorre cada tramo de la vida de Mises, sus aportes y su lucha incansable por defender el liberalismo/libertarismo hasta las últimas consecuencias.
May 23, 2025
Hard to get in my country (Netherlands), but wauw! Great read, highly recommend it to all my fellow Mises fans :)
September 23, 2010
Mises: The Last Knight of Liberalism by J
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