Claudio Restani



Articles by Claudio Restani

Mises on the Human and Financial Disaster that Was World War I.

Ludwig von Mises had several experiences throughout his life, counted among them when he was drafted and served as an Austro-Hungarian officer in the First World War. Initially, he served as an artillery officer on the Eastern Front, then, for a short time, he was called to Vienna to work in Department 13 (relating to military economy) of the Ministry of War of the Empire of Austria and Hungary.In Notes and Recollections, in the chapter devoted to the 1914-1918 conflict, Mises mentions a course organized by the Army Supreme Command in the summer of 1918 where officers were invited to give a lecture to their subordinates. He participated with this short writing entitled Über Kriegskostendeckung und Kriegsanleihen (which can be translated as War costs and war loans) where he addresses the

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Copernicus Was Also Right in Economics

Nicolaus Copernicus was one of the greatest scientists in history. With his theories on astronomy, he revolutionized the sciences and is meritoriously and universally recognized as a genius. He was indeed a genius, not only in astronomy, in fact, his knowledge and studies ranged in all fields of knowledge—medicine, canon law, theology (he was also ordained Catholic theologian), natural sciences, mathematics, and—last but most important for this article—economics.Unfortunately, most people are unaware that the genius Copernicus also successfully tried his hand at economic science. He absolutely deserves to have his studies in economics highlighted so that more people can appreciate his contributions.Copernicus had, throughout his life, the great fortune of being able to travel and study in

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The Christian Faith in the Thought and Life of Frédéric Bastiat

“[L]iberty…is an act of faith in God and in His works.”This is how Frédéric Bastiat—a French economist known for his pioneering libertarian economic thought—concludes The Law, his most famous work. Reading his various writings and pamphlets, we can very often notice a recurring mention of God, or at least of a Creator, and of the morality that today we call “Judeo-Christian”; however, this faith found in his works can be found just as often in his life. This article aims to expose the role of the Catholic faith in the intellectual and personal aspect of Frédéric Bastiat.Bastiat’s ThoughtAs already introduced, The Law is a very important work by Bastiat, and here we find the profound definition of freedom mentioned above but, we also find other statements with a religious background.

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The Bolognese Jurists behind the Proto-Austrians of the Salamanca School

What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

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Smashing the Western Illusion of Democracy

What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

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The Bolognese Jurists behind the Proto-Austrian Theories of the Salamanca School

Bologna, a city in northern Italy, is considered by many scholars to be the oldest university city in the Western world. Its university—the Alma Mater Studiorum—dates back to the year 1088. From the very beginning, the University of Bologna specialized in the analysis of law, especially in the study of canon law (the set of laws and decrees concerning the clergy and religious matters). Bologna became the home of famous jurists who studied and analyzed the laws issued in Rome by the Pope.Later, during the Spanish Golden Age, the Catholic university city of Salamanca specialized in the study of economic sciences by developing innovative theories that are considered by many, such as Marjorie-Grice Hutchinson, as the first historical examples of liberal-libertarian economic theory. The purpose

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The Bolognese Jurists behind the Proto-Austrians of the Salamanca School

Bologna, a city in northern Italy, is considered by many scholars to be the oldest university city in the Western world. Its university—the Alma Mater Studiorum—dates back to the year 1088. From the very beginning, the University of Bologna specialized in the analysis of law, especially in the study of canon law (the set of laws and decrees concerning the clergy and religious matters). Bologna became the home of famous jurists who studied and analyzed the laws issued in Rome by the Pope.Later, during the Spanish Golden Age, the Catholic university city of Salamanca specialized in the study of economic sciences by developing innovative theories that are considered by many, such as Marjorie-Grice Hutchinson, as the first historical examples of liberal-libertarian economic theory. The purpose

Read More »