Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought
Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought[1] was a libertarian journal published between 1965 and 1968. Founded by Murray N. Rothbard, Karl Hess, George Resch, and Leonard P. Liggio, it was edited and largely written by Murray Rothbard.[2]
 Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought (Complete, 1965-1968) | |
| Founder | Murray N. Rothbard, Karl Hess, George Resch, and Leonard P. Liggio |
|---|---|
| First issue | 1965 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
History
| Part of a series on |
| Libertarianism |
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In the 1960s, Rothbard began questioning the alliance between libertarians and conservatives, especially given the vast difference of opinion on such issues as the Vietnam War. Rothbard concluded that libertarianism had its roots in the political left, and therefore that libertarians of the Old Right would be better suited in alliance with the growing anti-authoritarianism of the New Left.
As Rothbard put it in the opening editorial of the journal:
Our title, Left and Right, reflects our concerns in several ways. It reveals our editorial concern with the ideological; and it also highlights our conviction that the present-day categories of *left* and *right* have become misleading and obsolete, and that the doctrine of liberty contains elements corresponding with both contemporary left and right. This means in no sense that we are middle-of-the-roaders, eclectically trying to combine, or step between, both poles; but rather that a consistent view of liberty includes concepts that have also become part of the rhetoric or program of right and of left. Hence a creative approach to liberty must transcend the confines of contemporary political shibboleths.
Following that editorial in the first issue, Rothbard's essay "Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty" was made available to readers. It explained in detail the origin of libertarian thought as an extension of radical, left-wing liberalism and the origin and nature of the unholy alliance of libertarianism with the conservative right.
Book
In 2007, the Ludwig von Mises Institute collected together and published as a book all issues of the journal. The 690-page book was titled Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought (Complete, 1965–1968). ISSN 0024-0311. OCLC 162539399, 741754456
See also
References
- OCLC 312963716
- Justin Raimondo An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard 2000 - Page 162 "Left and Right found its way to pockets of libertarian supporters on campuses across the nation. From Berkeley to the University of Kansas to the University of North Carolina, libertarian student organizations inspired by Rothbard's call to .."