Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: Democracy: The God That Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy and Natural Order (Perspectives on Democratic Practice)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2007

I liked this clearly writtten book with its novel viewpoint and analysis about the perils of government which is not limited in its scope and is firmly believed to be acting for the good by way of democracy. It occurred to me after reading chapter 1 that the current situation in Burma is simply the Junta exercising its high time preference to leapfrog the democratic process and go straight to the logical consequences of contemporary democracy. This would be a valuable book for the Burmese pro-democracy leadership to read, so that they might not repeat the mistakes of the world's most recently liberated states.

The conclusion that the state should be replaced by insurance companies and contracts is reasonable, and does currently work in certain classes of international business activity to circumvent the complications and delays of inter-state law, but I suspect--if computer security is anything to judge by--security and sophisticated scare-mongering would become a dominant preoccupation and divert capital from more productive activity.

The state as a monopoly is democratically granted its temporary monopoly, and although any constitution is simply a piece of paper which may be capable of abuse by interpretation and manipulation, it is up to the electorate to exercise good judgement in their electoral choices. Which is another good reason for many to read this book at this juncture in time. Furthermore--as a crude metaphor--just because a metal ladder doesn't specify that it should not be leaned against overhead electricity cables, sufficient 'a priori' knowledge should avoid this from happening instead of having to legislate for the banning of metal ladders and pursue claims for damage or death through the courts and seek compensation by way of insurance.

20 people found this helpful

Helpful

JKM

Life Changing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2024

I read this book when it first came out and a few times since. You will never look at the world and history the same way after reading this book. It also offers an excellent corrective to Mises's sympathetic view of democracy.

Helpful

Dr. S. I. Gabb

Hans-Hermann Hoppe - the Godfather of the modern libertarian movement ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 December 2015

Verified Purchase

Hans-Hermann Hoppe - the Godfather of the modern libertarian movement! This set of his more controversial essays is a must for anyone who wants to look beyond the plodding mainstream.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jack Edward Heald

A Modern Classic? - Time Will Tell

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 March 2002

Hoppe is not afraid to butcher, bleed and shrink-wrap that most sacred of sacred cows - democracy. As the title suggests, Hoppe considers democracy to be a horrible step backward in the evolution of human government, and he makes a compelling case for his thesis.
The book is actually a series of essays on the nature of government and economics, each of which stands on its own. However, the book is better consumed as a whole because he builds the case against democracy in an orderly, rational - an imminently readable - manner.
This would be a good book if Hoppe did nothing more than skewer western civilisation's sacrosanct belief in the innate superiority of democracy over other forms of government. He does that quite well, thank you.
But what sets DTGTF above your typical run-of-the-mill libertarian cant is that Hoppe not only destroys the theoretical foundations of democracy but also actually provides the theoretical and practical framework for an alternative form of government that might actually work.
I digested this book slowly over a couple of months' time just because my little mind needed the extra time to get wrapped around new and rather startling ideas. While not lengthy, it is extensively footnoted, and the footnotes alone make compelling reading.
DTGTF is not a perfect work, but then the subject does not lend itself to perfection. I would liken this work to that which a road builder undertakes when blasting a tunnel through a mountain. Dynamite does not lend itself to finely detailed work, but if you need to blow a hole through a mountain of faulty beliefs, nothing does the job quite like dynamite.
Recommended with no reservations.

42 people found this helpful

Helpful

Justin Scott

Essential reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2015

Verified Purchase

Essential reading for any student of politics, history or philosophy

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

birchden

Courageous scholarship

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 January 2010

In this courageous and scholarly book, Professor Hoppe challenges many of the common assumptions about democracy, arguing for its replacement by anarcho-capitalism.

Starting from first principles, he shows that far from being a system of government in which people rule themselves, democracy is in fact characterised by a parasitical ruling class of tax consumers that derives all its wealth from tax payers.

Because they only control the current use of state resources but do not own them, these rulers have no interest in policies based on long term wealth creation, but rather pander to short term populism in order to stay in power. The inevitable result of this is trend towards de-civilisation, the results of which one can see in any major urban centre.

Along the way he shows that even a system of absolute monarchy is preferable to democracy not only because the rulers have an interest in the long-term maintenance of capital values, but also because there is a clear class distinction that acts as a natural brake on government greed.

He also shows that it is no more than a delusion to imagine that any constitution will limit the power of the state, and draws some very interesting conclusions with regard to free trade and immigration.

Based on the foundation of Austrian economics, this book is a real treasure trove of ideas for the freedom minded reader, with fascinating discussions of apriori knowledge and time preference.

It is also a timely warning that the social democratic regimes of the west are all living on borrowed time, and that we must start to give serious thought as to what will replace them.

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Henning Gloege

SCHOLARSHIP AT ITS BEST

Reviewed in Germany on 11 July 2002

Verified Purchase

This is one of the truly great works that make reading books worthwhile. Every once in a while it happens that true scholarship is translated into a literary format, and this is one of them. If you have even the slightest interest in classical liberalism, the vices of democracy, and the possible cures to it, then you should invest your time, money and effort into this book. It is not easy to read, and it is not supposed to be, but the effort is more than worth it. Economics is used as a tool to analyse the advantages and shortcomings of various systems of 'governance'/order.
At their best, books are supposed to teach us, even enlighten us, but they rarely do. Most of the time they barely entertain, or divert us. Sometimes repeating things that we have already seen or read or heard somehwere else in a different form a hundred times before. Not this book. It challenges and educates. Get it!

8 people found this helpful

Gene Balfour

Monarchy trumps democracy

Reviewed in Canada on 15 September 2016

Verified Purchase

The best book that I have every rear on the reason why democracy has failed and why monarchy is a better option.

One person found this helpful

Diana L. Brown

Freedom is always superior to government.

Reviewed in the United States on 11 March 2004

Verified Purchase

Hoppe's introduction alone is worth the price of the book. And it is crucial to read the introduction before starting the book. He explains a priori knowledge ("propositions which assert something about reality and can be validated independent of the outcome of any future experience") in a simple, straightforward manner providing many examples. I stress this because although the Austrian Economists, which includes Hoppe, regularly mention a priori knowledge/theory - some of which is more commonly known as human nature - this is the first time I've seen it explained in such a clear and concise manner.
Hoppe also defines what a monopoly is and stresses that all governments are monopolies and must result in declining product quality at steadily increasing prices for any activity they are engaged in. And, of course, the reason monopolies always behave this way is explained by a priori theory.
Another significant point the author makes in the introduction is the inability of most historians to logically interpret, or choose between competing interpretations, the facts they so meticulously gather. As Hoppe states, "The principle advantage that the political economist and philosopher has over the mere historian (and the benefits to be gained from the study of political economy and philosophy by the historian) is his knowledge of pure - a priori - social theory, which enables him to avoid otherwise unavoidable errors in the interpretation of sequences of complex historical data and present a theoretically corrected or "reconstructed," and a decidedly critical or "revisionist" account of history".
Needless to say, a priori theory threads it way through the remainder of the book, which, by the way, is useful and enlightening itself. My favorite chapters were one, seven, eight, and ten.
Chapter one deals with time preference and how that determines whether society is moving in the direction of increasing civilization through savings and investment (low time preference) or its opposite, decivilization (high time preference). Hoppe shows how government is the biggest contributor to high time preference.
In chapters seven and eight the author discusses the merits and demerits of free or restricted immigration. Hoppe's arguments have encouraged me to rethink my position on this issue, which had been to support free and open immigration for all. He also discusses forced integration and free trade. His arguments favoring free trade are, in my view, simply unchallengeable.
Chapter ten deals with conservatism and libertarianism. Hoppe and Rothbard's descriptions of "modal" libertarians are right on the money. As a former member of the Libertarian Party and county chairman for several years, I could have written these descriptions myself!
In its entirety, I thought the book was excellent. Frankly, as an amateur economist and libertarian, it has to rank as one of the best book I've ever read.

31 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

praiseworthy

Reviewed in India on 28 December 2015

Verified Purchase

to the expectation

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	AbeBooks Books, art & collectables	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Veeqo Shipping Software Inventory Management

Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services	Audible Download Audiobooks	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	Amazon Home Services Experienced pros Happiness Guarantee

IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Resale Great Deals on Quality Used Products

	Amazon Business Service for business customers

Democracy: The God That Failed: The Economics and Politics of...

›

Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Democracy: The God That Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy and Natural Order (Perspectives on Democratic Practice)

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From United Kingdom

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

From other countries

Questions? Get fast answers from reviewers

Democracy: The God That Failed: The Economics and Politics of... › Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Democracy: The God That Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy and Natural Order (Perspectives on Democratic Practice)

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From United Kingdom

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. Please try again later.

From other countries

Questions? Get fast answers from reviewers

Democracy: The God That Failed: The Economics and Politics of...

›

Customer reviews