Afternoons with Ralph Raico

Until Ralph Raico completes his definitive book on classical liberalism, his ten-lecture Mises Institute course from Summer 2003, History: The Struggle for Liberty, will stand as his greatest tribute to freedom. He traces the roots of liberalism and its first volleys against the State to the "Dark Ages" (which he explains weren't quite as "dark" as we've long been taught). Raico deconstructs the villainous Rousseau. He argues that John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, always considered a "classic" statement of liberalism, helped destroy true liberalism and usher in socialism. Then he follows the struggle for freedom into 20th century America. His material on Woodrow Wilson and the beginnings of American Empire is terrific. The last lecture centers on the future of classical liberalism and liberty, touching on the ideas of Murray Rothbard and Hans-Hermann Hoppe.

I've spent many afternoons since April sitting on my patio with a box of Honduran cigars and working through the 15-hour audiotape series three times. I think I've totally unwound my so-called college "education."

The audiotapes are still available from the Mises Institute at Mises.org. But now, History: The Struggle for Liberty can also be downloaded in its entirety -- and for FREE -- as ten MP3 files. Any student of liberty must listen to this lecture series. Get it here.