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Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850) was a keen observer of political and economic problems and a passionate proponent of liberal economic theory. "The Law" "The State" and Other Political Writings, 1843-1850, collects nineteen of Bastiat's articles, ranging from the theory of value and rent, public choice and collective action, government intervention and regulation, the balance of trade, education, and trade unions to price controls, capital and growth, and taxation. Throughout his articles, Bastiat demonstrates how the combination of careful logic, consistency of principle, and clarity of exposition is the instrument for solving most economic and social problems.
In his famous essay "The Law" Bastiat explains that the law, far from being what it ought to be, "namely the instrument that enabled the state to protect individuals' rights and property," had become the means for what he termed "spoliation" (or plunder). From the article "The State," written at the height of the 1848 Revolution in June, comes perhaps his best-remembered quotation: "The state is the great fiction by which everyone endeavors to live at the expense of everyone else."
In this volume readers will find extensive introductory material, including notes on the translation and on the editions of the CEuvres completes, a chronology of Bastiat's life and works, two maps of France showing the cities associated with Bastiat, annotations to the articles, and a bibliography. A special section provides charming, little-known anecdotes about Bastiat and his contemporaries, including his editor Prosper Paillottet, who became Bastiat's firm friend and eventually his executor. This section also includes discussions of key concepts such as individualism, laissez-faire, industry, plunder, and the right to work. Three glossaries explain persons, places, and subjects and terms.
General Editor's Note ix
Note on the Translation xi
Note on the Editions of the CEuvres completes xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction xix
Frédéric Bastiat Chronology xxxii
Map of France Showing Cities Mentioned by Bastiat xxxiv
Map of Southwestern France xxxv
"The Law," "The State," and Other Political Writings, 1843-1850
1 Reflections on the Petitions from Bordeaux, Le Havre, and Lyons Relating to the Customs Service 1
2 The Tax Authorities and Wine 10
3 On die Wine-Growing Question 25
4 Property and Law 43
5 Justice and Fraternity 60
6 Individualism and Fraternity 82
7 The State 93
8 The State (draft) 105
9 The Law 107
10 Property and Plunder 147
11 Baccalaureate and Socialism 185
12 Protectionism and Communism 235
13 Plunder and Law 266
14 The War Against Chairs of Political Economy 277
15 Peace and Freedom or the Republican Budget 282
16 Discourse on the Tax on Wines and Spirits 328
17 The Repression of Industrial Unions 348
18 Reflections on the Amendment of M. Mortimer-Ternaux 362
19 Parliamentary Conflicts of Interest 366
Bastiat's Political Writings: Anecdotes and Reflections 401
Glossary of Persons 417
Glossary of Places 451
Glossary of Subjects and Terms 453
Bibliographical Note on the "Works Cited in This Volume 463
Bibliography 465
Index 473
Overview
Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850) was a keen observer of political and economic problems and a passionate proponent of liberal economic theory. "The Law" "The State" and Other Political Writings, 1843-1850, collects nineteen of Bastiat's articles, ranging from the theory of value and rent, public choice and collective action, government intervention and regulation, the balance of trade, education, and trade unions to price controls, capital and growth, and taxation. Throughout his articles, Bastiat demonstrates how ...