Part of: The Collected Works of Frédéric Bastiat, in 6 Vols. The Collected Works of Frédéric Bastiat. Vol. 2: The Law, The State, and Other Political Writings, 1843-1850

In 1849-1850, Bastiat and Proudhon engaged in a debate on interest in Proudhon’s newspaper The Voice of the People. These debates formed the foundations of some of Bastiat’s writings in this volume, as well as the critiques from one of his main interlocutors.

In this chapter, Karl Marx addresses several of Bastiat’s claims against socialism. This would be one of the final critiques of Bastiat, as he would fade into general obscurity shortly thereafter.

Perhaps Bastiat’s most famous political piece, The Law succinctly outlines Bastiat’s vision of the role of government in a liberal society. Government exists mainly as a protective entity. It can become abusive when it turns to more distributive goals. Law, then, can become corrupt and support “…

This Liberty Matters conversation focuses on the question: to what extent was Bastiat a significant theorist? Or was he mainly an orator and popularizer? The contributions are from four significant Bastiat scholars from multiple disciplines: Robert Leroux (historian and sociologist), Donald…

This book represents one of the few complete studies of Bastiat’s political thought. Leroux digs deep into the unstable political situation throughout Bastiat’s life, including his time as a revolutionary. By placing Bastiat into the context of political upheaval in France and the debates in the…