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Frederic Bastiat : A Man Alone
When following the ideas of Frederic Bastiat, the reader often wishes to know a bit more about the man himself. This applies to many thinkers of consequence--we find their ideas so interesting that we think their lives must be equally exciting and significant. Bastiat, however, has remained a shadowy entity, even to his few biographers. The same scant details of the man's personal life appear in each of the several sketches devoted to his career.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
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99 people want to read
About the author
George Charles Roche III
19 books7 followersGeorge Charles Roche III (May 16, 1935 – May 5, 2006) was the 11th president of Hillsdale College, serving from 1971 to 1999.
Roche received his bachelor's degree from Regis College (now Regis University) in 1956. He later received a masters and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado.
Prior to becoming president of Hillsdale College Roche was a professor at the Colorado School of Mines. He also worked with the Foundation for Economic Education.
The Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar program and the college's widely circulated speech digest, Imprimis, were started during Roche's years as college president. Under his leadership, many new buildings were constructed, including a sports complex that bears his name. Roche authored many books, such as Legacy of Freedom, The Bewildered Society, and The Book of Heroes, although it is believed that Lissa Roche, his daughter-in-law who worked at the college, was the ghost writer for his later books.[citation needed] In the case of The Book of Heroes Lissa is sometimes listed as a co-author and was acknowledged as a major contributor in the book's introduction.
Roche was appointed chairman of the National Council on Educational Research by Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Roche received his bachelor's degree from Regis College (now Regis University) in 1956. He later received a masters and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado.
Prior to becoming president of Hillsdale College Roche was a professor at the Colorado School of Mines. He also worked with the Foundation for Economic Education.
The Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar program and the college's widely circulated speech digest, Imprimis, were started during Roche's years as college president. Under his leadership, many new buildings were constructed, including a sports complex that bears his name. Roche authored many books, such as Legacy of Freedom, The Bewildered Society, and The Book of Heroes, although it is believed that Lissa Roche, his daughter-in-law who worked at the college, was the ghost writer for his later books.[citation needed] In the case of The Book of Heroes Lissa is sometimes listed as a co-author and was acknowledged as a major contributor in the book's introduction.
Roche was appointed chairman of the National Council on Educational Research by Ronald Reagan in 1984.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 14, 2021
I read this book immediately after reading Dean Russell's slighter earlier book on Russell. In some ways, this book is better. In others, it's worse.
Start with the better. What this book does very well is situate Bastiat's life and work in historical context. The first seven chapters of the book tell the story of Bastiat's life in the context of France's tumultuous political history between 1801 and 1850. For those who are unfamiliar with the French revolutions of 1830 and 1848, this story provides some helpful context. Along the way, readers are made familiar with Bastiat's work on behalf of free trade, his association with Richard Cobden, and his struggles against socialism during the last few years of his life.
Starting in chapter 8, however, the book takes a somewhat odd turn. Chapter 9, "Conservatives and Libertarians" tries, somewhat unhelpfully, to situate Bastiat in the broader realm of political ideology. The author's own political commitments, which lurked mostly below the surface for most of the book, here come out into the open and the reader is subjected to a good deal of editorializing about why theism is necessary for liberty, and why "materialism" ultimately leads to socialism. There are a number of short and mostly superficial treatments of thinkers like Bentham, Toqueville, Burke, and Rousseau, all of which seem mostly intended to set up Bastiat as the great synthesis. Chapter 10, "Bastiat Today" is better, and attempts to show the relevance of Bastiat's ideas to a host of modern controversies. The treatment here again is somewhat superficial. But it's at least a good excuse to squeeze in some of Bastiat's ideas that didn't fit naturally in the first seven chapters.
One of the most frustrating things about this book to me, as a scholar, is the utter and complete lack of referencing. No footnotes, no endnotes, no bibliography. Nothing. There are lots of great quotes from Bastiat in this book. But if you want to find out where they came from, you're going to have to track them down on your own. And that task is made more difficult by the fact that the quotations all appear to be the author's own translations, rather than translations from any standard scholarly source.
I did like the concluding set of "aphorisms" from Bastiat. It's far from a complete set, but it's nice to have a set of quotes to pursue if you're interested in getting a quick sense of what Bastiat might have had to say about this or that topic. They could have been better organized. And, again, no damn referencing! But I guess I've already beaten that horse.
All in all, a nice book, especially when read alongside Russell's more scholarly (and better referenced!) treatment. Russell is better for an in-depth look at the ideas of Bastiat; Roche is better for historically contextualized biography.
Start with the better. What this book does very well is situate Bastiat's life and work in historical context. The first seven chapters of the book tell the story of Bastiat's life in the context of France's tumultuous political history between 1801 and 1850. For those who are unfamiliar with the French revolutions of 1830 and 1848, this story provides some helpful context. Along the way, readers are made familiar with Bastiat's work on behalf of free trade, his association with Richard Cobden, and his struggles against socialism during the last few years of his life.
Starting in chapter 8, however, the book takes a somewhat odd turn. Chapter 9, "Conservatives and Libertarians" tries, somewhat unhelpfully, to situate Bastiat in the broader realm of political ideology. The author's own political commitments, which lurked mostly below the surface for most of the book, here come out into the open and the reader is subjected to a good deal of editorializing about why theism is necessary for liberty, and why "materialism" ultimately leads to socialism. There are a number of short and mostly superficial treatments of thinkers like Bentham, Toqueville, Burke, and Rousseau, all of which seem mostly intended to set up Bastiat as the great synthesis. Chapter 10, "Bastiat Today" is better, and attempts to show the relevance of Bastiat's ideas to a host of modern controversies. The treatment here again is somewhat superficial. But it's at least a good excuse to squeeze in some of Bastiat's ideas that didn't fit naturally in the first seven chapters.
One of the most frustrating things about this book to me, as a scholar, is the utter and complete lack of referencing. No footnotes, no endnotes, no bibliography. Nothing. There are lots of great quotes from Bastiat in this book. But if you want to find out where they came from, you're going to have to track them down on your own. And that task is made more difficult by the fact that the quotations all appear to be the author's own translations, rather than translations from any standard scholarly source.
I did like the concluding set of "aphorisms" from Bastiat. It's far from a complete set, but it's nice to have a set of quotes to pursue if you're interested in getting a quick sense of what Bastiat might have had to say about this or that topic. They could have been better organized. And, again, no damn referencing! But I guess I've already beaten that horse.
All in all, a nice book, especially when read alongside Russell's more scholarly (and better referenced!) treatment. Russell is better for an in-depth look at the ideas of Bastiat; Roche is better for historically contextualized biography.
August 5, 2012
Found an original copy first edition from 1971 at Black Swan Books in Lexington, KY. Written by George Charles Roche III who was the President of Hillsdale College. Part of the Architects of Freedom Series. A good biography of the man who brilliantly defends free trade and laissez-faire capitalism. From the outset the book poses the fundenental question, "Does the well-being of society as a whole stem from the freedom of enlightrned individuals to pursue their own interest; or must government intervene in the lives of its citizens to assure the greatest collective good?" Bastiat answers the question with, "the encroachment of the state in the lives of its citizens was not a solution to society's problems, but instead was the problem itself." Wonderful Aphorisms in the back of the book. Two of my favorite. "...heavy government expenditures and liberty are incompatible." and "...trust in the state a little less and in mankind a little more." Bastiat needs to be read by anyone interested in politics, economics and liberty. A PDF download is available from the Ludwig von Mises Institute at http://mises.org/books/man_alone_roch...
March 11, 2009
Very excellent; ordered my own copy after finishing!
One complaint: lazy editor or something - quite a few typos, small but noticeable changes in writing style. It's a little awkward to read sometimes, but the information is INVALUABLE.
Good context on Bastiat and his contemporaries, and the author provides commentary after finishing the strictly-biography part.
Also includes a few pages of short(-ish) quotes at the end for quick reference - LOVE that.
One complaint: lazy editor or something - quite a few typos, small but noticeable changes in writing style. It's a little awkward to read sometimes, but the information is INVALUABLE.
Good context on Bastiat and his contemporaries, and the author provides commentary after finishing the strictly-biography part.
Also includes a few pages of short(-ish) quotes at the end for quick reference - LOVE that.
November 18, 2013
A very interesting book about a very interested man. The best part is the biography-part despite its lengthy citations. There are also many interesting citations to Bastiat (but I miss references to where they come from in the ebook format). On Bastiats political philosophy I feel that the author is trying too hard to assimilate his own views and Bastiats. All in all I will recommend the book.
November 21, 2025
George Roche's admiring biography, “Frederick Bastiat” explores the life of the gentleman farmer, economist and political philosopher of 19th century France.
Roche does yeoman’s work in his explication of the historical events that molded Bastiat’s thinking. He achieved some prominence during the July Monarchy, and throughout the Second Republic he attempted to combat the economic fallacies of his age. As Henry Hazlitt wrote, “His chief method of argument was the method of exaggeration. He was the master of the reductio ad absurdum. “For instance, both Hazlitt and Roche note with amusement Bastiat’s suggestion that candlemakers petition the government for protection from competition from the sun.
Bastiat became a proponent of Manchester economics and a foe of "too much government." As Bastiat wrote, "To be hoodwinked by someone else is not very agreeable; but to use the vast apparatus of representative government to hoodwink ourselves, not just once, but twice over...is surely something to temper our pride in being the century of enlightenment.”
Bastiat arrived in Paris in the 1840's, founding a short-lived Anti-Protectionist Association in homage to Richard Cobden. Elected to the Chamber following the February Revolution of 1848, Bastiat spent the last months of his life inveighing against the government’s "socialistic purposes" and excoriating Louis Blanc for his idee fix, national workshops.
Roche attempts to elevate Bastiat to the status of a major political thinker who waged a solitary "crusade against socialism." This is fair insofar as his thought anticipated the fusionism of the mid-twentieth century, for he never neglected to pay Nature its due and advance the role of virtue in human affairs. As Bastiat averred, “Each of us gets from Nature, from God, the right to defend his person, his liberty, and his property...For what are our faculties, if not an extension of our personality, and what is property, if not an extension of our faculties? Collective right, then, has its raison d’etre, its legitimate basis, in individual right...”
Bastiat's prescription for the social maladies of France-- unemployment, high crime rates, abysmal poverty—was to shackle the heavy hand of government. The French public demurred, prompting Bastiat to describe how public opinion is formed, “Fifty ignoramuses repeat in chorus some absurd libel that has been thought up by an even bigger ignoramus; and, if only it happens to coincide to some slight degree with prevailing attitudes and passions, it becomes a self-evident truth.”
Roche's study is readable; however, his inclusion of extensive excerpts of Bastiat’s writings—without historical context or attribution- beg for concision. Moreover, the complete absence of footnotes and bibliography is a deterrent to the serious reader.
Roche does yeoman’s work in his explication of the historical events that molded Bastiat’s thinking. He achieved some prominence during the July Monarchy, and throughout the Second Republic he attempted to combat the economic fallacies of his age. As Henry Hazlitt wrote, “His chief method of argument was the method of exaggeration. He was the master of the reductio ad absurdum. “For instance, both Hazlitt and Roche note with amusement Bastiat’s suggestion that candlemakers petition the government for protection from competition from the sun.
Bastiat became a proponent of Manchester economics and a foe of "too much government." As Bastiat wrote, "To be hoodwinked by someone else is not very agreeable; but to use the vast apparatus of representative government to hoodwink ourselves, not just once, but twice over...is surely something to temper our pride in being the century of enlightenment.”
Bastiat arrived in Paris in the 1840's, founding a short-lived Anti-Protectionist Association in homage to Richard Cobden. Elected to the Chamber following the February Revolution of 1848, Bastiat spent the last months of his life inveighing against the government’s "socialistic purposes" and excoriating Louis Blanc for his idee fix, national workshops.
Roche attempts to elevate Bastiat to the status of a major political thinker who waged a solitary "crusade against socialism." This is fair insofar as his thought anticipated the fusionism of the mid-twentieth century, for he never neglected to pay Nature its due and advance the role of virtue in human affairs. As Bastiat averred, “Each of us gets from Nature, from God, the right to defend his person, his liberty, and his property...For what are our faculties, if not an extension of our personality, and what is property, if not an extension of our faculties? Collective right, then, has its raison d’etre, its legitimate basis, in individual right...”
Bastiat's prescription for the social maladies of France-- unemployment, high crime rates, abysmal poverty—was to shackle the heavy hand of government. The French public demurred, prompting Bastiat to describe how public opinion is formed, “Fifty ignoramuses repeat in chorus some absurd libel that has been thought up by an even bigger ignoramus; and, if only it happens to coincide to some slight degree with prevailing attitudes and passions, it becomes a self-evident truth.”
Roche's study is readable; however, his inclusion of extensive excerpts of Bastiat’s writings—without historical context or attribution- beg for concision. Moreover, the complete absence of footnotes and bibliography is a deterrent to the serious reader.
April 30, 2020
This book is essential to understand the contribution by the Bastiat. Book paints a great picture of history of the period in which Bastiat worked.
May 2, 2021
Bastiat comes alive in this excellent biography. An excellent book.
August 14, 2022
An introduction to one of the great french economists.
August 25, 2013
Bastiat truly was a man alone. Both his clear-headed thought and his indefatigable desire to bring liberty to the people of France, and eventually the world, were eminently admirable qualities. Roche's book is more of a biography of ideas and a history of the eponymous hero's socio-political milieu than a traditional biography that focuses on life events. The vast majority of Bastiat's life was supremely uneventful and of little interest to any but the most obsessive types. During his last five years, however, he went through an incredibly fruitful period and produced much of his works of genius that we are left with today. It is understandably this short period of time that Roche focuses on most.
July 29, 2018
Great review of Bastiat and his Times
This biography of Bastiat gives great insight of what made the man alone. By showing the events of France and her changes in government really gives a clear picture of what Bastiat was writing about.
This biography of Bastiat gives great insight of what made the man alone. By showing the events of France and her changes in government really gives a clear picture of what Bastiat was writing about.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews