How Murray Rothbard Became a Libertarian

Via Matt Zwolinski at Bleeding Hearts Libertarians, here is a video of the late Murray Rothbard, who is as responsible as anyone for the existence of the modern libertarian movement, describing his libertarian history. I have my issues with Rothbard, including what I think of as his inane views on foreign policy adapted from bad leftist history and analysis (I always think of his essay criticizing Zionists for buying land in Mandatory Palestine, this from an advocate of free immigration and unrestricted markets; he also, among other things, wrote a horrific essay celebrating the fall of Saigon to express his pleasure that a state had died), his often divisive political activities, and toward the end of his life, his alliance with Pat Buchananites and (not coincidentally) his indulgence of racism and anti-Semitism. But he was a towering figure in the libertarian movement from the 1950s to 1970s, and, as I learned by spending a week with him at a seminar in 1988, an incredibly funny and charming person. This video gives you a good taste of that.

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