The Road to Serfdom in Cartoons

Those propaganda posters that iceberg brought to our attention reminded me that the Mises.org fun page has The Road to Serfdom in Cartoons -- an illustrated rendition of F.A. Hayek's famous classic -- both as a web page and as a video.

The pictures are a little grainy and the image files could be half the size if the text were text rather than pictures of text ... so I thought I'd put together a higher-contrast, faster-download version here.

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Originally published in Look magazine. Reproduced from a booklet published by General Motors, Detroit in the 'Thought Starter' series (#118). 1 War forces "national planning" To permit total mobilization of your country's economy, you gladly surrender many freedoms. You know regimentation was forced by your country's enemies. 2 Many want "planning" to stay ... Arguments for a "peace production board" are heard before the war ends. Wartime "planners" who want to stay in power, encourage the idea. 3 The "Planners promise Utopias .... A rosy plan for farmers goes well in rural areas, a plan for industrial workers is popular in cities -- and so on. Many new "planners" are elected to office ... 4 but they can't agree on ONE Utopia With peace, a new legislature meets; but "win the war" unity is gone. The "planners" nearly come to blows. Each has his own pet plan, won't budge. 5 And citizens can't agree either .... When the "planners" finally patch up a temporary plan months later, citizens in turn disagree. What the farmer likes, the factory worker doesn't like. 6 "Planners" hate to force agreement ... Most "national planners" are well-meaning idealists, balk at any use of force. They hope for some miracle of public agreement as to their patchwork plan. 7 They try to "sell" the plan to all ... In an unsuccessful effort to educate people to uniform views, "planners" establish a giant propaganda machine -- which coming dictator will find handy. 8 The gullible do find agreement .... Meanwhile, growing national confusion leads to protest meetings. The least educated -- thrilled and convinced by fiery oratory, form a party. 9 Confidence in "planners" fades .... The more that the "planners" improvise, the greater the disturbance to normal business. Everybody suffers. People now feel -- rightly -- that "planners" can't get things done! 10 The "strong man" is given power ... In desperation, "planners" authorize the new party leader to hammer out a plan and force its obedience. Later, they'll dispense with him -- or so they think. 11 The party takes over the country ... By now, confusion is so great that obedience to the new leader must be obtained at all costs. Maybe you join the party yourself to aid national unity. 12 A negative aim welds party unity ... Early step of all dictators is to inflame the majority in common cause against some scapegoat minority. In Germany, the negative aim was Anti-Semitism. 13 No one opposes the leader's plan ... It would be suicide; new secret police are ruthless. Ability to force obedience always becomes the #1 virtue in the "planned state." Now all freedom is gone. 14 Your profession is "planned" .... The wider job choice promised by now defunct "planners" turns out to be a tragic farce. "Planners" never have delivered, never will be able to. 15 Your wages are "planned" .... Divisions of the wage scale must be arbitrary and rigid. Running a "planned state" from central headquarters is clumsy, unfair, inefficient. 16 Your thinking is "planned" .... In the dictatorship, unintentionally created by the planners, there is no room for difference of opinion. Posters, radio, press -- all tell you the same lies! 17 Your recreation is "planned" .... It is no coincidence that sports and amusements have been carefully "planned" in all regimented nations. Once started, "planners" can't stop. 18 Your disciplining is "planned" .... If you're fired from your job, it's apt to be by a firing squad. What used to be an error has now become a crime against the state. Thus ends the road to serfdom!