Freedom, Society, and State - Ludwig von Mises Institute

in, even sacr i f i ce themselves for, a cause or an abstract
concept like "justice," "freedom," or "democracy."
As many have noted, causes such as "defense
against foreign aggressors," can and often do produce a
feeling of exhilaration and a spiritual uplift in
people. It frees people from the monotony of their
daily routine, and the plea for a "total effort"
infuses even those in the lowliest of jobs with a sense
of great importance.{lll) The American home front duri
n g W0 rId War I lis a c I ass i c i I Ius t rat ion • Ma r t ha
Byrd has recently observed that everyone wanted to "do
something, anything, to help." And "the government
responded to the ci t i zens' need for involvement" by
encouraging various kinds of sacrifices: the buying of
war bonds, the growing of vegetable gardens, the collect
ion of scrap metals, the use of car pools, longer
working hours, reduced travel, fewer vacations and the
I ike • The res u 1 t ? " M0 r a I e wa s h i g h ." "A fee ling 0 f
being needed," she says, "contributed to a gratifying
sen s e 0 f wo r t han d par tic i pa t ion ina common endea vor
gave intense satisfaction to many."(112)
Th is is no t to say that there would be a footrace
to the sacrificial altar. Certainly many would not
participate and some would even become quislings. But
i tis 1 ike 1 y t hat rna ny wo u 1d pa r tic i pat e • Wh e the r i t
would be enough to constitute a successful defense is
impossible to say. Since the success of non-violent
defense hinges on mass participation, even a moderate
number of abstentions would jeopardize the tactic. But
sin c e g uerr ill a war far e doe s not d e pendon rna s s i ve
citizen participation its viability would not, ipso
faeto, be undermined by the presence of a moderate
number of non-participants.
The problems of national defense presents a most
difficult problem for the individualist anarchist. The
bel ief in some sort of national defense company is not
only difficult to reconcile with the libertarian moral
code but is also based on the misperception that
national defense can, like any other good, be divided
.into marginal units. Hope does seem to lie in reliance
on ei ther non-violent civilian defense and/or guerrilla
war fa r e • 0 f the two, the I a t t e r s t r ike s me as ha v i ng
the greater probability of success. That an anarchist
society could successfully defend itself from a determined,
ruthless foreign aggressor cannot be guaranteed.
But, of course, the same holds true for the statist
society.
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