Classical Liberalism and the Industrial Working Class

The Economic Thought of Thomas Hodgskin

Alberto Mingardi

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780429513992
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Economic History
• Index: Economics

Thomas Hodgskin (1787–1869) is today a largely unknown figure, sometimes considered to be a forerunner of Karl Marx. Yet a closer look at Hodgskin's works reveals that he was actually a committed advocate of laissez-faire economics and enthusiastic about labor-saving machinery and the Industrial Revolution, with a genuine interest in the well-being of the working classes. This book places him in the tradition of classical liberalism, where he belongs—as a disciple of Adam Smith, but even less tolerant of government power than Smith was.

Classical Liberalism and the Industrial Working Class: The Economic Thought of Thomas Hodgskin will be of interest to advanced students and scholars in the history of economic thought, economic history and the history of political thought.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• 1. A life in the storm
• 2. Thomas Hodgskin’s peculiar blend of “socialism”
• 3. Political economy and free trade
• 4. Free trade in banking
• 5. Between liberalism and anarchism
• Conclusion
• Index