The Road to Serfdom. Text and Documents

More about the book

An unimpeachable classic in political philosophy, intellectual and cultural history, and economics, this work has inspired and infuriated politicians, scholars, and readers for decades. Originally published in 1944, it served as a passionate warning against the dangers of state control over production. F. A. Hayek argued that collectivist ideas empowering government with increasing economic control would not lead to utopia but rather to the horrors witnessed in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. Over the past sixty years, it has established itself alongside the works of Alexis de Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill, and George Orwell for its timeless exploration of individual liberty versus government authority. This new edition is part of the Collected Works of F. A. Hayek series and includes an introduction by leading Hayek scholar Bruce Caldwell, who discusses the book's origins, publishing history, and common misinterpretations of Hayek's thought. Caldwell has standardized and corrected references and added new explanatory notes. The volume is further enhanced with an appendix of related materials, including prepublication reports and forewords by notable figures, making this edition the definitive version of Hayek's enduring masterwork.