Ludwig Von Mises

Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises[n 1] (/vɒn ˈmiːzɪz/; German: [ˈluːtvɪç fɔn ˈmiːzəs]; September 29, 1881 – October 10, 1973) was an Austrian and American political economist and philosopher of the Austrian school. Mises wrote and lectured extensively on the social contributions of classical liberalism and the central role of consumers in a market economy. He is best known for his work in praxeology, particularly for studies comparing communism and capitalism, as well as for being a defender of classical liberalism in the face of rising illiberalism and authoritarianism throughout much of Europe during the 20th century. In 1934, Mises fled from Austria to Switzerland to escape the Nazis and he emigrated from there to the United States in 1940. On the day German forces entered Vienna, they raided his apartment, confiscating his papers and library, which were believed lost or destroyed until rediscovered decades later in Soviet archives. At the time, Mises was living in Geneva, Switzerland. However, with the imminent Nazi occupation of France threatening to isolate Switzerland within Axis-controlled territory, he and his wife fled through France—avoiding German patrols—and reached the United States via Spain and Portugal. Since the mid-20th century, both libertarian and classical liberal movements, as well as the field of economics as a whole have been strongly influenced by Mises's writings. Economist Tyler Cowen lists his writings as "the most important works of the 20th century" and as "among the most important economics articles, ever". Entire schools of thought trace their origins to Mises's early work, including the development of anarcho-capitalist philosophy through Murray Rothbard and the contemporary Austrian economics program led by scholars such as Peter Boettke at George Mason University.