Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement

If you don't already know about the movement this is a bit hard getting into. I began with the chapter about three important American women includin Ryan and the daughter of the author of Little House on fhe Prarie, then went back to the Austrian econmists and finally selectively read about individual figures. The author not only has done research on the subject he has worked in the movement. Right as we flirt with another government shutdown these ideas are coming to the fore. Excellent. Finally, it was an excellent review of economics. Could I be a Libertarian ? Seems they come in all stripes. I am not convinced, but appreciate these thinkers more now.

Those looking for a look into the history of the modern American libertarian movement need to look no further than "Radicals for Capitalism." This fascinating book by the knowledgeable and experienced author Brian Doherty examines not only the the well-known ideological heavyweights of the modern libertarian movement; Rand, Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, etc., but lesser known libertarian writers as well, such as Rose Wilder Lane. Libertarian writers and thinkers are not the only ones to be given time either, the various people and organizations who provided much of the funding (and still do) such as the Koch brothers, the multitude of libertarian organizations and magazines, and the Libertarian Party are all given plenty of space in this show more history of the libertarian movement. What stands out most however, is how well the author is able to show just how zany some of these libertarian thinkers were and how their relationships were marked by a surprising amount of friendships, feuds and rivalries. show less