…was a song performed by the Sex Pistols before I was born. According to Henry Grady Weaver’s The Mainspring of Human Progress, it was near-anarchy in the British colonies (n/k/a America), facilitated by Charles II’s negligent rule, which provided the necessary lack of government, upon which our forefathers erected the freest nation ever devised by men.

Weaver’s Mainspring is a brilliantly frank piece of political and economic history, detailing the rise and fall of civilizations, from Ur in biblical times, straight through the modern era. For the religiously inclined, Weaver also makes a solid case for the teachings of Christ and of Mohammed as totally compatible with the notions of individual liberty: with great freedom comes great responsibility. Throughout the work, he demonstrates that the greatest civilizations, the most significant abundance, opportunity, and common welfare has occurred precisely in those areas and at those times where the government proper has been mostly or totally impotent.

I picked up my copy for $1 used. You can find yours at the Foundation for Economic Education by following the link, above.