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by Ludwig von Mises

Economic Policy contains six lectures Ludwig von Mises delivered in 1959 for the Centro de Estudios sobre la Libertad in Argentina. This volume serves as an excellent introduction to what Mises sees as the simple truths of history in terms of economic principles. In straightforward language, Mises explains topics such as capitalism, socialism, interventionism, inflation, foreign investment, and economic policies and ideas.

Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) was the leading spokesman of the Austrian School of Economics throughout most of the twentieth century. He earned his doctorate in law and economics from the University of Vienna in 1906. In 1926, Mises founded the Austrian Institute for Business Cycle Research. From 1909 to 1934, he was an economist for the Vienna Chamber of Commerce. Before the Anschluss, in 1934 Mises left for Geneva, where he was a professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies until 1940, when he emigrated to New York City. From 1948 to 1969, he was a visiting professor at New York University.

Bettina Bien Greaves is a former resident scholar, trustee, and longtime staff member of the Foundation for Economic Education. She has written and lectured extensively on topics of free market economics. Her articles have appeared in such journals as Human Events, Reason, and The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty. A student of Mises, Greaves has become an expert on his work in particular and that of the Austrian School of economics in general. She has translated several Mises monographs, compiled an annotated bibliography of his work, and edited collections of papers by Mises and other members of the Austrian School.

Genres: Economics, Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Finance, Classics, History

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (German pronunciation: [ˈluːtvɪç fɔn ˈmiːzəs]; September 29, 1881 – October 10, 1973) was an Austrian economist, historian, philosopher, author, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the Austrian government's economic policies in the first third of the 20th century, the Austrian School of Economics, and the modern free-market libertarian movement.

Reviews

[Mostafa Bushehri · Rating 5 out of 5]

اگر امکانش بود قطعا این کتاب را برای دوستان، آشنایان و بستگان در رده سنی بالای دبیرستان می‌خریدم و بهشان هدیه می‌دادم (شاید هم این کار را کردم!). مبلغ کتاب ناچیز است (12 هزار تومن)؛ همچون پول یک قهوه. خواندن کتاب هم وقت زیادی نمی‌برد (112 صفحه)؛ شاید اندازه 2-3 ساعت گپ زدن در رستوران و کافه!

میزس همچون یک شوالیه آزادی در عصر تاریکی آنچنان از اقتصاد آزاد و آزادی دفاع می‌کند که گویی این کتاب را هم‌اکنون نوشته است؛ حال آنکه این کتاب حاصل 6 سخنرانی او در آرژانتین در دهه 50 میلادی است!

او به حدی ساده و قابل فهم مسائل پیچیده اقتصادی را توضیح می‌دهد که علاوه بر اینکه برای همگان (که شاید به نادرستی اقتصاد را علم ملال انگیز بدانند) قابل فهم است بلکه حتی برای آشنایان و متخصصان این رشته نیز جذاب و خواندنی است.

این کتاب را باید خواند و به دیگران پیشنهاد به خواندن کرد. گفته‌های میزس در دهه 50 میلادی در نقدِ اقتصاد دولتی، ایجاد تورم توسط دولت با چاپ پول، دخالت در قیمت‌های بازار و قیمتگذاری و انواع مداخله‌گرایی‌های دولت بسیار شبیه به حال و روزِ امروز ایران ماست!

پ.ن: یک دستمریزاد و تشکر از نشر دنیای اقتصاد و آقای صدری گرامی، مترجم کتاب، بابت چاپ این اثر و ترجمه بسیار خوب آن.

[Íris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Infelizmente falta-me o background de economia que seria necessário para construir uma opinião consciente e crítica. Não obstante, gostei mesmo muito do livro e fez-me pensar em questões de extrema importância que são intemporais, tais como o mercado livre, a inflação, o intervencionismo, capitalismo e socialismo. Fiquei com vontade de ler outros livros deste autor por partilhar uma visão semelhante que ele próprio ajudou a consolidar.

[Ahmad Ebaid]

أنا دمي محروق! محروق فشخ!!

بالنظرة الأولى للكتاب، تجده بغلاف يحمل سهم البورصة فوق بضع عملات ذهبية، مثله كمثل أغلب الكتب الاقتصادية المترجمة في العالم العربي؛ أي أسوأ جودة ممكنة لغلاف كتاب مطبوع.
"الجرافيك ديزاينر" اللي بيعمل الأغلفة دي، لو شغال "شكك" لدار النشر ببرنامج "الرسام" بتاع الويندوز، كان عمل غلاف عليه القيمة عن اللي معمول دا

وبالنظرة الثانية للكتاب، نجده عبارة عن محاضرات ألقيت في الأرجنتين عام "1958"، فتوقعت فورا بأنه جزء من سلسلة المحاضرات التي دونتها مساعدة فون ميز، "بيتنا جريفز"، وخصوصا أنها هي التي قدمت لهذا الكتاب.
بدأت سلسلة المحاضرات السالفة الذكر، بكتاب نشر عام "2004" بعنوان "السوق الحر وأعداءه"، يحتوى محاضرات ألقاها فون ميز عام "1951" بنيويورك. (لن أعلق على الاسم المقتبس عن عنوان "كارل بوبر" الأشهر، على الأقل للآن)
وتبعه كتاب آخر، نشر عام "2006" ويحمل عنوان "الماركسية دون قناع". يحوي محاضرات ألقاها "فون ميز" عام "1952" بـ"سان فرانسيسكو".
وانتهت هذه السلسلة، التي ظننتها ستمتد، بهذين الكتابين فقط. لكني عندما وجدت هذا الكتاب أثناء بحثي عن أيّة أعمال منشورة بالعربية "لفون ميز"، وجدت أنه محاضرات مكتوبة بنفس نسق السلسلة السابقة، كمان أنها ألقيت في نفس الفترة تقريبا.
شرعت أبحث على الانترنت عن الأصل الأجنبي لـ"الكتاب الثالث من سلسلة المحاضرات لفون ميز". متجاهلا أن هذا الكتاب قد نشر سابقا عام "1979" بحسب ما يخبرنا الجودريدز، ولكن هذا هو الجودريدز يا عم، "دا أي حد بيعدل فيه"!
مندفعا بالتحمس لإكمال سلسلة المحاضرات، أفنيت ما يقارب الثلاث ساعات بالبحث، أو لنقل "استثمرت ثلاث ساعات" كما كنت أظن وقتها. صراحة بدأ البحث بسلسلة المحاضرات، وانتقلت لتأمل عناوين كتب أخرى ترتبط بموضوعات كتب "فون ميز".
وقبل إضاعة المزيد من الوقت، فتحت النسخ المتوفرة من أعمال الكاتب بموقع "معهد فون ميز".
كان التاريخ المشار إليه بالجودريدز صحيحا، فالكتاب قد نشر سابقا. قبل مشروع نشر سلسلة المحاضرات بعقود حتى!.
هنا بدأت حرقة الدم، فقد أضعت الكثير من الوقت، لأكتشف بأنني مغفل؛ فقد شككت في صحة معلومة ما دون تحقق، لصالح معلومة أخرى لا دليل عليها، لمجرد تعارضها مع احتمال "جاي على هواه أكتر"، أي احتمالية وجود كتب أخرى من سلسلة المحاضرات التي أحببتها!!
وتستكمل حرقة الدم بمتابعة تصفح الترجمة العربية التي وجدتها على الانترنت!


النظرة الثالثة كانت على الفهرس الخاص بأعمال الكاتب، وهو يتموضع خلف الفهرس الخاص بمحتويات هذا الكتاب، بعد المقدمة مباشرة. قد نغفر للمترجم نقله الأعمى للكتاب بهذا الترتيب، والذي يمكن وصفه بـ"العبيط" فالقارئ العربي، قطعا لن يفكر بقراءة الأعمال الأخرى لكاتب "مجهول" قبل أن ينهي قراءة متن الكتاب ذي "الغلاف الباهت"!. عادة سرد باقي مؤلفات الكاتب في بداية الكتاب، ليست بالعادة المنتشرة بين الناشرين العرب، مما يعني بأن المترجم قد استنسخ ترتيب الكتاب من طبعة "معهد فون ميز" بحذافيرها، مما قد أثار شكوكي حول المترجم، الذي قد يكون "من النوع اللي مبيعرفش يتصرف"!!
وقد كان.
ففي قائمة مؤلفات الكاتب، نجد هذه الجملة العجيبة:
"الليبرالية (1927)، ترجمتها بالانجليزية تحمل اسم "الكومنويلث الحر والمزدهر"
وهي جملة ممسوخة الملامح والمعنى، لا يستسيغها من تلقى "بجنيه وربع تعليم مجاني".
بما أن النسخة التي ينقل منها المترجم تذكر الترجمة الانجليزية للعمل، فمن البديهي اعتبار أنها نسخة إنجليزية. إذا فكيف يكون اسم الكتاب بالانجليزية هو "الليبرالية" وفي نفس الوقت يحمل اسم "الكومنويلث الحر والمزدهر"!
قد يكون ذلك غلطة المترجم للإنجليزية، وليس مترجمينا للعرب، ولكن من يعرف مدى حرفية دور النشر الإنجليزية، لا يذهب بالتفكير بهذا الاحتمال. وعن نفسي، فلم أصادف غلطة إملائية مطبعية يوما بكتاب انجليزي!
وبالفعل، فتحت النسخة الانجليزية لـ"معهد فون ميز" ووجدت ما توقعته. العيب عند "المحروس بتاعنا إحنا".
وكانت الترجمة الصحيحة هي "الليبرالية (1927)، الترجمة الإنجليزية الأولى عنونت كـ"الكومنويلث الحر والمزدهر"، حيث نشرت الترجمة الإنجليزية الأولى الصادرة عام 1920 بهذا العنوان، وشتان في المعنى بين الترجمتين!
لأ ومكلفين نفسهم وجايبين مترجم ومراجع وتدقيق لغوي، يلهوي على المسخرة. مترجمها بجوجل دي يسطى؟
ليس جوجل بتاع اليومين دول فقط، بل حتى جوجل بنسخته لعام 2007، تاريخ نشر الترجمة، يترفع عن مثل هذه السقطة!
وليس هناك حاجة للتأكيد بأن هذه السقطة في بداية الكتاب، أشاعت في نفسي الشكوك بأن المترجم مستهتر و "ميعرفش أي ابن وسخة عن الكاتب"، أو حتى قد قرأ صفحة الويكيبيديا الخاصة به. فلو قرأ، لعامل مؤلفات "فون ميز" بقليل من الهيبة والاحترام.
وهذا هو المستوى المعتاد لمترجمينا الأفاضل. متابعة أعمالهم تستوجب"عد صوابعك وراهم"!

لم أكمل لما بعد المقدمة، ولكن هذا لا يقلل من أهمية الكتاب المترجَم ككل؛ فكتابات "فون ميز" أكبر من أن تضيع قيمتها بتشويه المترجمين. موسى نبي، وماركس نبي، وفون ميز نبي، وكل من له نبي يصلي عليه.

الكتاب أحد أكثر كتب لودفيج فون ميز مبيعا، ويتضمن تفسيرا واضحا لأساسيات السياسة الاقتصادية، وإن كان يركز بشكل أساسي على مساويء التدخل الحكومي في الاقتصاد، ويحدثنا عن: الملكية الخاصة، وحرية التجارة، النقود والتضخم، والاشتراكية والفاشية، والاستثمار، والكثير من الأشياء.
والأسلوب؟ ولا أبسط، فهو موجه أساسا للعامة، وليس للدوائر الأكاديمية كمعظم كتبه المطبوعة.

أنا دمي محروق! ولم تهدئ كتابة هذا الريفيو الموجز من روعي! أنا دمي محروق فشخ على العمر اللي بيضيع هدر في شوية توافه!


ملاحظة أخيرة، الكتاب نشر لأول مرة عام "1979" أي بعد ست سنوات من وفاة الكاتب، وكانت حقوق الملكية تتبع زوجته.
لكن من بداية الطبعة الثانية، الصادرة عام "1995"، انتقلت حقوق الملكية للكتاب لتتبع مدام "جريفز".
أتوفت زوجة "فون ميز" بحلول هذا التاريخ، فانتقلت الملكية لمدام "جريفز"؟ ولماذا تنتقل الملكية لها، وهي ليست من أبناء "ميز" أو حتى من الأقارب؟
أتكون زوجة "ميز"، هي من عهدت بإرث زوجها لمدام "جريفز"، قبل وفاتها؟ ولما لا، فهي مساعدته وشريكته لعقود، وتعرف عن "فون ميز" ومساهماته الفكرية أكتر من أي شخص آخر!

أنا كان ممكن أدور عن إجابة على جوجل بدل الفتي والتخمين دا، بس أنا عارف إني بمجرد ما هفتح الانترنت مش هخلص، وهدخل من لينك للينك، وأنا بقالي يومين كاملين في مقدمة كتيب صغير بسبب التشتت دا، فمش ناقصة يعني!

وبمناسبة الوقت، فقد فتحت الجودريز، فقط لإثبات الجملة التالية كتعليق على الكتاب: "ساعتين عشان أوصل للأصل الإنجليزي، كان زماني قرأت الـ140 صفحة بتوع الكتاب، وخصوصا إني عارف المحتويات اللي فيه"، مع بعض الشتائم الأخرى التي لم أكن لأدونها على الموقع. وها قد انتهى بي الحال بكل هذه الثرثرة!!

[Patrick Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024-05-02 Just finished rereading this book because it has been on my list to do so for several years AND because the book became instantly "famous" with the reference to it (via another, translated? title) by Brazilian turned American UFC fighter Renato Moicano, who's in-the-ring interview with Joe Rogan immediately after winning his championship bout went viral just a couple weeks ago.

I first read this slim volume composed of six speeches originally delivered in Argentina in 1958 shortly after Peron was ousted in 1955. The chapters/speeches are simple:
Capitalism
Socialism
Interventionism
Inflation
Foreign Investment
Politics and Ideas

This is a good book as an intro to these concepts and to the more detailed works of Mises. Very low on technical jargon. Very high on reasonable explanations of what the issues are about - what is right/works and what is wrong/does not work.

Mises uses good solid history and relatable examples and logic.

I originally read this book very soon after it came out in 1979, and have referred to it several times since then, but I'm not sure I read the whole thing again (only 106 pages), till now.

I highly recommend it.
Oh, there have been several new editions published and even free copies are available on the web too - so you can get this book cheap, but it could/should be worth way more than than to you.

I'd also like to leave you with a nice summary quotation from the end of the book to give you a flavor of what you're in for:

"Ideas and only ideas can light the darkness. These ideas must be brought to the public in such a way that they persuade people. ... What we need is nothing else than to substitute better ideas for bad ideas.... Our civilization is not doomed... Our civilization will and must survive. And it will survive through better ideas than those which now govern most of the world today, and these better ideas will be developed by the rising generation."

"Six lectures may be very much for an audience, but they are not enough to develop the whole philosophy of a free economic system, and certainly not enough to refute all the nonsense that has been written in the last fifty [or 150] years about economic problems with which we are dealing."

"I myself have full confidence in the future of freedom, both political and economic."

[David Mears · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short overview of liberal (in the classical sense) economic policies, the arguments for the same, and against socialist policies. Originally a series of lectures given in Argentina in 1958, the arguments are well developed, quick to read, and simple enough to grasp, even for people who are not familiar with economics.

[Marcel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH

Brazil, 1986. The country has its first non military president after 20 years of dictatorship. The military had left power with a legacy in the economy of some important infrastructure built, yet with increasing inflation rates on the other hand. The annual index pointed to more than 200% in 1985. Worried with the ratcheting up of prices and devaluation of currency, president José Sarney launches the “Plano Cruzado” (“Cruzado Plan”) in January.

The plan changes the currency’s name, cuts it some zeros, and, more ambitiously, freezes all prices thereon. To change them, companies could only justifiably request it to a secretariat (Sunab) of the Ministry of Economy empowered to monitor and enforce the control of prices. Punishment for non compliance included fines, closing of stores, and even jail time for administrators.

A month later, president Sarney goes to national TV broadcasting network to beg the population to adhere and support his plan. Calling upon the patriotism of those he called “Sarney inspectors”, the president incited the population to denounce and close any stores raising prices above the ones fixed in an extensive official table published by Sunab.

Received with great excitement by the population at first, the plan seemed to be a total success. It was a full plate for the media. The news every night would bring up scenes of people in a spree of closing down grocery stores and supermarkets due to violation of the control of prices, and interviews with the heroes of the hour proud of their patriotism, the then “Sarney inspectors”.

Months later, prices would raise again, price sticker machines in supermarkets would start working frenetically, and products would vanish from the shelves with the tightening of the enforcement. Money would lose its value day after day and on the same day. People receiving wages in cash would run to banks to deposit them or to stores to buy whatever they could. By the end of the day, wages would substantially lose their value if kept out of a bank, and prices were proportionally higher. In a few months the excitement was gone and stories on “Sarney inspectors” disappeared from the media.

The “Plano Cruzado” was the first of a series of similar attempts to desperately fight hiper-inflation in Brazil. During president Sarney’s term, at least 6 plans were launched with more or less the same formula: renaming currency, cutting zeros, tightening control of prices. President Sarney left power with a resounding failure to counter inflation, which reached 1,972.92% in 1989 (employment, exports — and also external debt — were on a rise, though).

The next president, Fernando Collor de Mello, takes over in 1990 with the mission to achieve what his predecessor couldn’t. Official institutes would register in March an all-time record high of 81.3% monthly inflation. With such a devastating scenario, resembling Germany’s post WWI’s economy in that sense, president Collor decides to implement a new radical plan. The “Plano Collor” (“Collor Plan”) also changes the currency name, tightens control of prices, but tackles inflation fundamentally from a different angle: demand. Collor sets up a limit of ~ USD 1,200 for every person to withdraw cash monthly, a measure later called “savings confiscation”. A politician with economically liberal inclination, Collor was nevertheless praised by left wing adversaries. (On the other hand, Collor paradoxically also resorted to several liberal policies such as the opening of Brazil’s economy to foreign trade with zeroing of tariffs, and withdrawing of subsidies).

Like all previous measures from his predecessor, Collor’s plan to counter inflation was an immediate success. Though news on people committing suicide due to the confiscation started to come up. Inflation kept pressing and savings confiscation was eventually removed. Inflation hits the all-time record high of 2,477.15% in 1993. Collor was impeached after two years and several new attempts to reduce inflation meanwhile.

It was only in 1994 that a plan developed by then Minister of Economy Fernando Henrique Cardoso and his team (part of which had participated in the conception of the first Cruzado Plan) during vice-president Itamar Franco’s remaining term, eventually contained inflation. Unlike all the previous more radical measures, the “Plano Real” (“Real Plan”) worked with expectations and suffocated inflation gradually by first creating a transitory index towards the change of the currency to the definitive “Real” over time, among other measures, like restricting government expenditure.

The success of the “Plano Real” eventually led Mr. Cardoso to win the next election and become president, and Real is still the country’s currency.

Growing up in Brazil in the 1980’s was witnessing that story. The economy of the country was feverish, and people lived and organized their lives according to inflation. It was such a traumatic moment of the national life that economic policy to this day still has inflation as its major concern. Higher levels of inflation in Brazil mean almost automatic reduction in popularity for the president. Raising interest rates has still been the most used policy to counter inflation by the Central Bank, now independent from the presidency.

Ludwig von Mises’s “Economic Policy: Lessons for Today and Tomorrow” is a transcription and edition of six lectures the author gave in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1959. Among other topics repeated by Mises throughout his life as part of his liberal gospel (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), this book very clearly goes through the bad consequences of government price control policies, with historical examples.

It’s very weird to see that after almost thirty years from these lectures the government of Brazil, a neighbor country to Argentina, used and abused of pricing controls and got the same bad consequences Mises and other liberal authors had predicted throughout all their lives. Argentina, for instance, still uses it. One could wonder where they expect to get to with that.

Another peculiarity is how in the case of Brazil polices completely identified with the left spectrum of politics were applied by governments identified with the right wing. Chatting with an assistant to a former Minister of Economy during president Sarney’s term, he told me that they traveled to the Soviet Union in the 1980’s to understand how pricing controls worked there. In a visit to the authority in charge of monitoring prices, they witnessed him showing them the books with all of the prices of the economy, and proudly telling them that they had been the same for more than twenty years! It sounds as no surprise that such a regime would soon collapse.

Another popular book from Ludwig von Mises, the champion on liberty for enthusiasts all over the world, “Economic Policy” has clear language and concise style. This writing qualities certainly equipped Mises to conquer minds and hearts of those who don’t stand left wing ideas or policies.

One can — and should — question and debate liberal ideas in the economic realm; though it’s a shame to see that countries still incur in the same repeated mistakes in certain areas of economic policy to this day.

PORTUGUÊS

Brasil, 1986. O país tem seu primeiro presidente não militar após 20 anos de ditadura. Os militares deixaram o poder com um legado na economia de algumas importantes obras de infraestruturas construídas, mas, por outro lado, com taxas de inflação crescentes. O índice anual apontava para mais de 200% em 1985. Preocupado com a escalada de preços e a desvalorização da moeda, o presidente José Sarney lança em janeiro o “Plano Cruzado”.

O plano muda o nome da moeda, corta alguns zeros e, mais ambiciosamente, congela todos os preços da economia. Para alterá-los, as empresas só poderiam, justificadamente, solicitá-lo a uma secretaria (Sunab) do Ministério da Fazenda com poderes para fiscalizar e fazer cumprir o controle de preços. As punições ao descumprimento incluíam multas, fechamento de lojas e até prisão para os administradores.

Um mês depois, o presidente Sarney vai à rede nacional de TV para implorar à população que adote e apoie seu plano. Convocando o patriotismo daqueles que chamou de “fiscais do Sarney”, o presidente incitou a população a denunciar e fechar todas as lojas que aumentassem os preços acima dos fixados em uma longa tabela oficial divulgada pela Sunab.

A princípio recebido com grande entusiasmo pela população, o plano parecia ser um sucesso total. Foi um prato cheio para a mídia. O noticiário todas as noites era uma farra de cenas de pessoas declarando mercearias e supermercados fechados por violação do controle de preços, e entrevistas com os então “fiscais do Sarney” orgulhosos de seu patriotismo.

Meses depois, os preços voltariam a subir, as máquinas de remarcação de preços nos supermercados começariam a funcionar freneticamente e os produtos desapareceriam das prateleiras com o aperto da fiscalização. O dinheiro perderia seu valor dia após dia e no mesmo dia. As pessoas que recebiam salários em dinheiro corriam aos bancos para depositá-los ou às lojas para comprar qualquer coisa que pudessem. No final do dia, os salários perderiam substancialmente seu valor se mantidos fora do banco, e os preços eram proporcionalmente mais altos. Em poucos meses, a empolgação se foi e as histórias sobre os “fiscais do Sarney” desapareceram da mídia.

O “Plano Cruzado” foi a primeira de uma série de tentativas semelhantes para combater desesperadamente a hiperinflação no Brasil. Durante o mandato do presidente Sarney, pelo menos 6 planos foram lançados com mais ou menos a mesma fórmula: renomear a moeda, cortar zeros, apertar o controle de preços. O presidente Sarney deixou o poder com um retumbante fracasso em conter a inflação, atingindo esta a marca de 1.972,92% em 1989 (embora o emprego, as exportações — e também a dívida externa — estivessem em alta).

O próximo presidente, Fernando Collor de Mello, assume em 1990 com a missão de conseguir o que seu antecessor não conseguiu. Os institutos oficiais registrariam em março um recorde histórico de 81,3% de inflação mensal. Diante de um cenário tão devastador, que nesse sentido lembra a economia da Alemanha pós Primeira Guerra Mundial, o presidente Collor decide implementar um novo plano radical. O “Plano Collor” também muda o nome da moeda, aperta o controle de preços, mas combate a inflação fundamentalmente por outro ângulo: a demanda. Collor estabelece um limite de aproximadamente US$ 1.200 para cada pessoa sacar dinheiro mensalmente, medida posteriormente chamada de “confisco da poupança”. Político com inclinação economicamente liberal, Collor foi, no entanto, elogiado por adversários de esquerda. (Por outro lado, Collor paradoxalmente também recorreu a diversas políticas liberais como a abertura da economia brasileira ao comércio exterior com zeramento de tarifas e retirada de subsídios).

Como todas as medidas de seu antecessor, o Plano Collor para conter a inflação teve sucesso imediato. A inflação caiu. No entanto, notícias sobre pessoas cometendo suicídio devido ao confisco começaram a surgir. A inflação continuou pressionando e o confisco da poupança acabou caindo. A inflação bate novo recorde e atinge 2.477,15% em 1993. Collor foi cassado dois anos depois, tendo lançado várias tentativas de conter a inflação.

Foi somente em 1994 que um plano elaborado pelo então Ministro da Fazenda Fernando Henrique Cardoso e sua equipe (parte da qual participou da concepção do primeiro Plano Cruzado) e implementado pelo vice-presidente Itamar Franco, acabou por conter a inflação. Ao contrário de todas as medidas anteriores mais radicais, o “Plano Real” trabalhou com expectativas e sufocou a inflação gradualmente ao criar primeiro um índice transitório para a mudança da moeda para o “Real” definitivo ao longo do tempo, entre outras medidas, como restringir gastos do governo.

O sucesso do “Plano Real” acabou levando Fernando Henrique Cardoso a vencer a próxima eleição e se tornar presidente, e o Real ainda é a moeda do país.

Crescer no Brasil na década de 1980 foi testemunhar essa história. A economia do país era febril e as pessoas viviam e organizavam suas vidas de acordo com a inflação. Foi um momento tão traumático da vida nacional que a política econômica ainda hoje tem como principal preocupação a inflação. O aumento dos níveis de inflação significa redução da popularidade do presidente quase automaticamente. A elevação dos juros ainda tem sido a política de combate à inflação mais utilizada pelo Banco Central, agora independente da presidência.

“As Seis Lições” de Ludwig von Mises é uma transcrição e edição de seis palestras que o autor proferiu em Buenos Aires, Argentina, em 1959. Entre outros tópicos conhecidos que ele repetiu ao longo de sua vida como parte de seu evangelho liberal (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... e https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), este livro passa muito claramente pelas más consequências das políticas governamentais de controle de preços, com exemplos históricos.

É muito estranho ver que depois de quase trinta anos dessas palestras o governo do país vizinho Brasil usou e abusou do controle de preços e obteve as mesmas consequências ruins que Mises e outros autores liberais previram ao longo de suas vidas. A Argentina, por exemplo, ainda o utiliza. Alguém poderia se perguntar onde eles esperam chegar com isso.

Outra peculiaridade é como no caso do Brasil políticas totalmente identificadas com o espectro da esquerda da política foram aplicadas por governos identificados com a direita. Conversando com um assessor de um ex-ministro da Economia durante o mandato do presidente Sarney, ele me contou que eles viajaram para a União Soviética na década de 1980 para entender como funcionava o controle de preços por lá. Na visita à autoridade encarregada de monitorar os preços, testemunharam-no orgulhosamente mostrando-lhes os livros com todos os preços da economia, e dizendo-lhes que eram os mesmos há mais de vinte anos! Não parece surpresa que tal regime cairia alguns anos após aquela visita.

Outro livro popular de Ludwig von Mises, o defensor da Liberdade para entusiastas de todo o mundo, “As Seis Lições” tem linguagem clara e estilo conciso. Essas qualidades de escrita certamente equiparam Mises a conquistar mentes e corações daqueles que não suportam ideias ou políticas de esquerda.

Pode-se – e deve-se — questionar e debater ideias liberais no campo econômico; embora seja uma pena ver que países incorrem nos mesmos erros repetidos em certas áreas da política econômica até hoje.

[Jairo Fraga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy and chill reading.

Mises put it simple, easy to the layman to grasp all the concepts. The lessons are about capitalism, socialism, government intervention, inflation, external investment and politics. It has good arguments against obvious wrong points on "socialism economies", but didn't check things like wether Roman Empire has fallen due to prices control or not, like some other user said, anyway I don't think it would harm the general idea of the book.

I recommend this!

[Pedro Almeida Jorge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent little book, written for the general public.
I might try to edit this one here in Portugal!

[Mehdii]

برای کسی که میخواهد برای شروع ، مطالبی درباره اقتصاد بخواند کتابِ خوبی نیست. هر چند کتاب داعیه ی "آموزشِ اقتصاد به زبانِ ساده"را دارد اما در عمل چنین نیست. کتاب در حمایت از سرمایه داری و کوبیدنِ سوسیالیسم نوشته شده و جهت گیری های شدیدی دارد.

[Bruno Henrique Marcondes Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

"...a experiência da França é muito relevante para o mundo de hoje, onde muitos continuam a crer, à imagem de Leroy-Beaulieu, que basta garantir os direitos de propriedade e a livre operação dos mercados e enaltecer a concorrência "pura e perfeita" para se chegar a uma sociedade justa, próspera e harmoniosa. A tarefa, infelizmente, é mais complexa do que isso" - Piketty - O capital no século XXI

Não preciso dizer que, se fosse vivo, Mises certamente detestaria Piketty e suas ideias. Provavelmente seria o "acadêmico" detestável pintado por Mises no livro.

Durante toda a leitura do livro, essa passagem de Pickety reverberava em minha mente: "A tarefa infelizmente é mais complexa do que isso, Mises" pensava eu com a arrogância de quem não entende nada de economia, mas no âmago concorda (sem motivo aparente) mais com Piketty do que com Mises.

Me incomodou também o fato de que o livro é extremamente pobre em dados. Li este livro ao mesmo tempo em que estou lendo Piketty e é gritante a pobreza de dados se compararmos as duas obras. Tudo bem, posso estar sendo injusto, afinal de contas o livro é super pequeno e é um compêndio de palestras, mas é notável a superficialidade das ideias ali contidas.

Enfim, tenha em mente que o que você vai encontrar aqui são discussões que muito se parecem com o que você teria num churrasco com amigos liberais mais ferrenhos, isto é, arraigado em preconceitos e pobre em dados.

Por fim, o livro é interessante para entender alguns conceitos básicos da maneira como pensam os liberais. Não acho que valha a leitura, mas honestamente o livro é tão curto que você consegue ler em algo como 4 idas longas ao banheiro. Sendo minha definição de longo como: long-do-tipo-que-sai-do-vaso-com-a-perna-formigando).

Pretendo ler outras obras liberais, fico grato se alguém tiver boas recomendações que tenham análises mais profundas.

[Amir Javadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب مختصر، مفید و بسیار خوبی بود. شش سخنرانی از پروفسور میزس در 1959 در آرژانتین که مباحث کلان و سیاست‌های اقتصادی را به زبانی ساده تشریح می‌کند. میزس با مثال‌های تاریخی روشن و دقیق، فهم فلسفه‌ی اقتصادی سرمایه‌داری و سیاست‌گذاری در این راستا را ساده‌تر و شیرین‌تر می‌کند. به تمام کسانی که با اقتصاد آشنایی ندارند و می‌خواهند برای شروع کتابی در دست بگیرند، یا آنان که اقتصاد خوانده‌اند و می‌خواهند مروری بر مباحث اصلی داشته باشند و سخنرانی‌های میزس را هم از دست ندهند، قویا خواندن این کتاب فوق‌العاده را پیشنهاد می‌کنم.

[Gui · Rating 3 out of 5]

É interessante ver o posicionamento de alguém que defende o liberalismo ao extremo como única solução possível para nossos males. Contudo, pela própria estrutura da coletânea de palestras, carece de aprofundamento em vários pontos. Adicionalmente, o livro não trata de várias questões mais atuais que posam novos desafios às proposições feitas nesta época.

[Fábio Rachid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly light and quick to read and, at the same time, filled with easily understandable knowledge about Economics, History and Politics.

Also explains misconceptions about capitalism and debunks many about socialism.

One of the shortest yet most knowledgeable books I've ever read.

[Dody Eid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice series of lectures highlighting basic economic principles that get lost in modern day policy conversations. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in economics or Philosophy!

[Ozlem Tasdemir]

Liberte Yayinlari’nin cevirisi, hayatimda okudugum en berbat cevirilerden biri. Icinde personal pronoun gecen istisnasiz HER CUMLEDE “o” kullanmak bir kitabin tercume edilmis oldugunu gostermez, o kadarini Google Translate de yapiyor.
Ornek vereyim: “Bir mali bes dolardan satmak isteyen bir is adami ne yapar? O, malini bu fiyata satamadigi zaman Birlesik Devletler’de ‘defter oynamiyor’ seklindeki ticari ifade kullanilir. Fakat o, hareket etmek zorundadir. O, yeni bazi seyler satin almak zorunda oldugu icin bunlari elinde tutamaz; tarzlar degismektedir. Bu yuzden o, daha dusuk fiyatlardan satis yapar.”
Anlatim bozukluklarina, ceviri hatalarina girmiyorum bile. Liberte Yayinlari, cek git.

[Juan Leandro]

Lo pongo como "a leer". Porque lo ha recomendado un tipo de la UFC, que me da miedo encontrármelo y que considere inoportuno que no lo haya leído XD.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vidalm...

Los caminos del saber son inescrutables.

[Michael Broadwater · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was alright

[İlkay Yılmaz · Rating 1 out of 5]

(I gave one star to the Turkish Translation published in 2017 by Liberte, not to the original work of Mises. The original book itself deserves 5 stars.)

Liberte yayınlarının çevirisi, kitabın anlaşılmasını zorlaştıracak ve hatta çoğu yerde yanlış anlamalara yol açacak ciddi hatalarla dolu. Örnek olması açısından aşağıya çeviride (100. sayfada) bulduğum önemli bir hatayı ekliyorum.

ORİJİNAL CÜMLE: "For the development of domestic saving it is necessary to mention again that domestic saving by the masses of the population presupposes a stable monetary unit. This implies the absence of any kind of inflation."

LİBERTE ÇEVİRİSİ: "Tekrar ifade etmek gerekir ki yerli ikamesini (saving) geliştirmek için halk kitleleri ile yerli ikamesi yapmak için güçlü bir para birimine ihtiyaç vardır. Bu da herhangi bir şekilde enflasyonun olmadığını gösterir."

Görüldüğü gibi en temel kavramlardan olan iç tasarruf (domestic saving) yerine "yerli ikamesi" kullanılmış. "This implies" ifadesi ise anlamı bozacak bir şekilde "... gösterir" olarak çevrilmiş.

Umarım kitabın ileriki baskılarında bu ve bunun gibi çok sayıda hata düzeltilir. Aksi halde Mises'in bu çok önemli eserinin Türkçede hak ettiği ilgiyi bulabileceğini sanmıyorum.

[Bálint Táborszki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I always recomment to anyone interested in economics. It is a fantastic layman's introduction to the workings of the market economy and of government intervention; in my humble opinion a much better one than Hazlitt's famous classic. Of course it is not as systematic and detailed as a scientific treatise such as Human Action, but this book serves a different audience and does so perfecty.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primeiro livro que leio sobre a Escola Austríaca de Economia. Muito elucidativo.

[Dmitry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good book that explains basic economics in simple terms.

But like any other book that promotes an economic policy, it suffers from the same problem: it assumes we all live in a vacuum, and forgets that most people are economically illiterate.
Free market and government non intervention policies, work in theory. In practice, if we want a healthy society, the government has to intervene in order to outlaw obvious scams such as MLM or Ponzi schemes. And it has to enforce price control on things like alcohol and drugs.

[Riri · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب سیاست اقتصادی از میزس در واقع مجموعه ای از ۶ سخنرانی وی در کشور آرژانتین در دهه ۱۹۶۰ میلادی است که پس از مرگش جمع آوری و منتشر شد. میزس که از پیشگامان مکتب اقتصاد اتریشی است مخالف سرسخت برنامه ریزی و دخالت در اقتصاد است و در این مجموعه سخنرانی های کوتاه نشان می دهد که (از دید اقتصاد آزاد) هرگونه دخالت در اقتصاد مانند قیمت گذاری دستوری، حداقل دستمزد، چاپ پول، وجود اتحادیه های کارگری و... چگونه بر اقتصاد و اجتماع تاثیر خواهد داشت.

پ.ن : مخاطب این کتاب عام است و کتاب بسیار ساده و همراه با مثال های بسیار نوشته شده است.

«۳ اردیبهشت ۴»

[Josiah Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and concise evaluation of some basic economic and political systems and practices. Complete with examples, explanations, and even a positive outlook for the future of this country. Approachable for just about any reader.

[Duarte Martins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

An excellent overview of the main topics of economics, and a great introduction to liberal economic thought. Very interesting historic examples used too.

Still highly relevant today.

[Thomas Falezan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An authoritative and accessible book showing the merits of capitalism over communism when it comes to value creation. The discussion could have been more interesting if the author had compared capitalism to modern socialism, where the outcome is certainly more nuanced (state-funded healthcare system versus fully private one, forcing citizens to save up for retirement, to have a home insurance etc.).

[Diego Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bom livro para conhecer minimamente os conceitos e premissas básicas do liberalismo

[José Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sem comentários. Mais uma leitura obrigatória, se você quer entender melhor como funcionam parte da economia e sociedade. O pósfacio é quase outro livro, lotado de referências, uma trilha de leituras.

[Aditya]

The book version of shitting through one's mouth. Basically a glorified WhatsApp forward. Negative three stars. It should be legal to skin the author alive and feed the entrails to their offspring.

[kesseljunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Managed to get to really digging in while on flight. This should be required reading in schools.

[Bruno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente livro de introdução das ideias liberais.