Marxism Unmasked

We may not have the opportunity to sit at the feet of Mises during his famous private seminar in Vienna or attend his New York seminar, nor can we follow him to the speaking engagements he held in the 1950s and '60s. However, we do have access to his words, which reveal a man who was warm, funny, passionate, and learned. This book provides a candid look at Mises and his teaching style, demonstrating his dazzling command of the material and his ability to teach in a breezier way than his treatises.

The volume contains nine lectures Mises delivered over one week, from June 23 to July 3, 1952, at the San Francisco Public Library. At the prime of his teaching and lecturing career, Mises shares a lifetime of learning on topics that were (and remain) central to American public life, with a focus on Marxism.

In these lectures, Mises discusses Marx and his place in the history of ideas, the destruction wrought by his dangerous ideology, the manner in which his followers have covered up his errors, and how the Marxists themselves have worked to save Marxism from itself. He also refutes the Marxist smear of the Industrial Revolution, demonstrating that the improvements in technology were not available only to the exploiters, and that the masses did not live in a state much worse than on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.

Mises's approach is systematic but casual, allowing the reader to encounter wonderful insights in the form of short asides, such as "The worst thing that can happen to a socialist is to have his country ruled by socialists who are not his friends." The reader can nearly "hear" Mises speaking through the prose, as the lectures were transcribed from his actual words, rather than prepared lectures.

Some readers of Mises's larger works have perceived him as remote, but in these lectures, he comes across as brilliant yet very warm and charming in an old-world sense. The book provides a unique opportunity to experience Mises's teaching style and insights, which were central to American public life.

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