Classical Liberalism and the Industrial Working Class : The Economic Thought of Thomas Hodgskin.

Cover -- Endorsements -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1. A life in the storm -- The early life of Thomas Hodgskin -- Utilitarian (and useful) friendships -- A journalistic career -- An Essay on Naval Discipline -- 2. Thomas Hodgskin's peculiar blend of "socialism" -- Hodgskin: a Ricardian socialist? -- Capital and privilege -- The issue of machinery -- A theorist of human capital? -- 3. Political economy and free trade -- A defender of political economy -- Labor, knowledge and a principle of population -- A long-time opposition to the Corn Laws -- Hodgskin, Cobden, and the League -- Hodgskin's free trade manifesto -- 4. Free trade in banking -- Some thoughts on the business cycle -- Free banking -- 5. Between liberalism and anarchism -- Private property, good and bad: Hodgskin as a Lockean -- Against "scientific" government -- Public opinion and the middle classes -- Conclusion -- Herbert Spencer and Thomas Hodgskin -- The anti-utilitarianism of Spencer and Hodgskin -- A distinct tradition of classical liberalism? -- Index.

Thomas Hodgskin is sometimes considered a forerunner of Karl Marx. A closer look at his work reveals a committed advocate of laissez-faire economics, enthusiastic about labor-saving machinery and the Industrial Revolution. This book places him in the tradition of classical liberalism.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.