The Servile State is Hilaire Belloc's fascinating description of the economic history of England. This book gives a brief overview of the rise of capitalism and the viability of its alternatives, distributism and collectivism. Written over 100 years ago, this book is still highly relevant especially in light of the recent growth of the buy local/eat local movement. A must read for anyone looking to expand their view of economic theory beyond the basic right vs. left.As an added bonus, this edition also contains a interesting and relevant debate that took place prior to the original publication of The Servile State.

In The Servile State, British-French writer and historian Hilaire Belloc makes a provocative case that capitalism will inevitably move toward the reestablishment of slavery. The thesis in this book forms the backbone of Belloc’s life-long effort as an advocate for reform to the existing socioeconomic system in the direction of what he terms as “distributism.” As a critic of both socialism and capitalism, and a fervent Catholic, Belloc lays out a history of Europe where, over generations, the pagan slavery of the Roman Empire was transformed into a “distributive” model of the Middle Ages. But, he argues, this model was broken by the rise of capitalism in England during the reign of Henry VIII. Ever since, capitalism has been moving ever closer towards the servile state: the restoration of status in the place of contract, and a vast proletariat of wage-earners with few incredibly wealthy owners. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

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