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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Van Hayek's classic text on Freedom
As World War II died down and the world began recovering from the threat of Nazi Germany, a new and possibly dangerous ideology was just emerging: socialism. Was this another ideology the world should be wary of?
The thing is, many thought that Nazism had sprung from the upper class’s reaction to the lower class’s socialism. But in fact, this was not the case. Before Hitler’s rise to power, social democrats in Germany increased state control of the economy as a response to the monetary crisis that followed World War I. It was this state-controlled, partially totalitarian system that set the stage for fascism and the Nazi party.
And if it happened in Germany, what was stopping it from happening in other places, too?
To avoid this threat, it was important to learn a lesson from Nazi Germany, where socialism and the limitation of personal freedoms by state economic control had led to totalitarianism.
But which countries specifically were at risk at this time?
Actually, in 1944, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom were strikingly similar as all three nations had reduced freedom and equality. For instance, the beginnings of socialism were visible in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1944, just as in Germany before Hitler’s rise to power.
So, while US and UK politics certainly bore no resemblance to fascism at this point, these countries ran the risk of turning down a dangerous path toward a totalitarian future. The author believed that these countries, once unfettered by state economic control, were now, by exercising more authority over private and economic affairs, sliding toward totalitarianism.
So why was socialism gaining momentum? Because of a common misconception.
The Road to Serfdom (1944) explains the potential of socialist systems to become totalitarian and why this was so significant after WWII. These blinks will show you how socialist planning can lead to a loss of freedom, individuality and democracy.
We have progressively abandoned that freedom in economic affairs without which personal and political freedom has never existed in the past.
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Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trialBlink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma