In this anthology, Mises offers an articulate and accessible introduction to and critique of two topics he considers especially important: inflation and government interventionism. According to Mises, inflation, that is monetary expansion, is destructive; it destroys savings and investment, which are the basis of production and prosperity. Government controls and economic planning never accomplish what proponents intend. Mises consistently argues that the solution to government intervention is free markets and free enterprise, which call for reforming government. For that, ideas must be changed to “let the market system work.” There is no better “planning for freedom” than this.

Originally published in 1952, this volume collects writings by one of the most influential figures of the Austrian school of economics, Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973). From the time of original publication, the collection grew over subsequent editions from an original set of 12 essays to include 17 essays as well as writings by others about him. This new edition eliminates the writings of the other authors but retains the 17 by Mises, here rearranged into four parts: The Free Market Economy versus Government Planning; Money, Inflation, and Government; Mises: Critic of Inflationism and Socialism; and Ideas.