The Panic of 1819 (book)

Book by Murray Rothbard

The Panic of 1819: Reactions and Policies

Author| Murray Rothbard
Language| English
Subject| History
Published| 1962
Publisher| Columbia University Press
Publication place| United States

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The Panic of 1819: Reactions and Policies is a 1962 book by the economist Murray Rothbard, in which the author discusses what he calls the first great economic crisis of the United States. The book is based on his doctoral dissertation in economics at Columbia University during the mid-1950s.[1]

## Summary

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During the 19th century some observers believed that the panic originated within the economic system itself, since the event could not be readily attributed to any specific event, as had some previous crises. Rothbard, however, states that the Panic of 1819 arose from developments related to the War of 1812 and the postwar prosperity that followed. The outbreak of war stifled foreign trade and spurred the growth of domestic manufacturing, which grew to fill the demand previously met by imports. The government borrowed heavily to finance the war. Rothbard alleges that this led to a credit expansion which in turn led to rising prices. Rothbard's book provides a narrative of these events.[2]

## Reception

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The book had at least seven reviews which included both praise and criticism.[3]

In a 1990 interview in The Austrian Economics Newsletter Rothbard was asked about the reception to the book and said it was well received, "In fact, much better than any other of my books. Maybe that's because I didn't analyze the causes. I only wrote about how people wanted to cure it."[4]

## Publishing history

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* New York: Columbia University Press, 1962.
* New York: AMS Press, 1973. ISBN 0-404-51605-X.
* Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2002. Web-based PDF file prepared by William Harshbarger.
* Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2007. ISBN 978-1-933550-08-4.

## Notes

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1. ^ David Gordon. "Murray N. Rothbard". Ludwig von Mises Institute. July 30, 2005.
2. ^ Christopher Mayer (15 July 2002). "Panic of 1819 – and 2002". Ludwig von Mises Institute.
3. ^ Casey, Gerard (2010). Meadowcroft, John (ed.). Murray Rothbard. Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers. Vol. 15\. London: Continuum. pp. 98–102. ISBN 978-1-4411-4209-2.
4. ^ "The Science of Liberty: An Interview with Murray N. Rothbard". Ludwig von Mises Institute. Summer 1990. 30 July 2014.

## External links

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* 1975 review by Mark Skousen
* Christopher Mayer’s review of the 2002 online edition
* Online edition in PDF format (click download icon on top menu bar)

* v
* t
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Murray Rothbard

Books|

* Man, Economy, and State (1962)
* The Panic of 1819 (1962)
* America's Great Depression (1963)
* What Has Government Done to Our Money? (1963)
* Power and Market (1970)
* For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto (1973)
* Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature and Other Essays (1974)
* Conceived in Liberty (1975–79)
* The Ethics of Liberty (1982)
* The Mystery of Banking (1983)
* The Case Against the Fed (1994)
* An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought (1995)
* A History of Money and Banking in the United States (2002)
* The Complete Libertarian Forum (2006)
* Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought (Complete, 1965–1968) (2007)
* The Betrayal of the American Right (2007)

Miscellaneous|

* Anarcho-capitalism
* Center for Libertarian Studies
* The Libertarian Forum
* The Review of Austrian Economics

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