Mont Pèlerin 1947 : transcripts of the founding meeting of the Mont Pèlerin Society

Marking the 75th anniversary of the first meeting of the Mont Pèlerin Society, in 1947, this volume presents for the first time the original transcripts from this landmark event. The society was created by Friedrich Hayek as a forum for leading economists and intellectuals to discuss and debate classical liberal values in the face of a rapidly changing world and political trends toward socialism. Bruce Caldwell, a major scholar of Hayek, provides an informative introduction and explanatory notes to the source documents, drawn from the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, where they have been available to scholars. Now accessible to all, the transcripts reveal what was said on a wide range of topics, including free markets, monetary reform, wage policy, taxation, agricultural policy, the future of Germany, Christianity and liberalism, and more. They provide insights into the thinking of men such as Hayek, Milton Friedman, Aaron Director, Frank Knight, Walter Eucken, Karl Popper, and other leading figures in the classical liberalism movement, illuminating not only their ideas but also their distinctive personalities. A photo section shows rarely seen images from the meeting. Minutes of discussion at Mont Pelerin Conference, April 1st-10th -- Session 1 : welcoming address -- Session 2 : "free" enterprise and competitive order -- Session 3 : "free" enterprise and competitive order (continued) -- Session 4 : modern historiography and political education -- Session 5 : the future of Germany -- Session 6 : the future of Germany (continued) -- Session 7 : the problems and chances of European federation -- Session 8 : the problems and chances of European federation (continued) -- Session 9 : liberalism and Christianity -- Session 10 : discussion on agenda, etc. -- Session 11 : contra-cyclical measures, full employment, and monetary reform -- Session 12 : statement of aims -- Session 13 : wages and wage policy -- Session 14 : further discussion of statement of aims -- Session 15 : taxation, poverty, and income distribution -- Session 16 : agricultural policy -- Session 17 : Meeting on organisation -- Session 18 : the present political crisis -- Session 19 : the name of the society "Presents transcripts from the founding meeting of the Mont Pèlerin Society and explains its importance in the development of 20th-century liberal thought"-- Provided by publisher