Liberty and Property.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

Liberty and Property 25He did not see that the very character of theoffice and the factory is entirely changedwhen it is alone in the world and no longergrants to people the opportunity to chooseamong the products and services of variousenterprises. Because his blindness made itimpossible for him to see the role the marketand the consumers play under capitalism, hecould not see the difference between freedomand slavery. Because in his eyes the workerswere only workers and not also customers, hebelieved they were already slaves under capitalism,and that one did not change their statuswhen nationalizing all plants and shops.Socialism substitutes the sovereignty of a dictator,or committee of dictators, for the sovereigntyof the consumers. Along with the economicsovereignty of the citizens disappearsalso their political sovereignty. To the uniqueproduction plan that annuls any planning onthe part of the consumers corresponds in theconstitutional sphere the one party principlethat deprives the citizens of any opportunityto plan the course of public affairs. Freedom