Lecture series · recorded 1988
Marx and Marxism
Marx and Marxism is a free lecture series (7 recordings, 5 hours) you can stream or download at freecapitalists.org, with 7 speakers.
Austrian and classical-liberal scholars critique Marx's economics, philosophy, and life. In seven lectures from the Mises Institute's October 1988 conference, David Gordon traces Marx's Hegelian method, Richard Ebeling presents Böhm-Bawerk's critique of the labor theory of value, Hans-Hermann Hoppe and Ralph Raico take up class analysis, David Osterfeld mercantilism, Williamson Evers labor under socialism, and Gary North Marx's life.
The foundations of Marx's philosophy and economics. Sponsored by the Mises Institute, and held in New York City; 15–16 October 1988.
Cover painting: Friedrich Engels reads his eulogy at Karl Marx's grave, Highgate Cemetery, 17 March 1883. See every painting in the art gallery.
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01
36:10 Download MP3
Marx and Mercantilism 1988
Osterfeld argues that Marx's critique of capitalism really targets mercantilism. Marx defined capitalism as free exchange, yet drew class conflict, subsistence wages, and fixed classes from state privilege, which belongs to a distinct mercantilist mode of production.
Calculation and KnowledgeOther Schools of ThoughtPolitical Theory
Read the transcript 5,446 words
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02
46:07 Download MP3
Classical-Liberal Roots of Marxist Class Analysis 1988
Raico traces the theory of class conflict to French liberals writing before Marx. Charles Comte, Charles Dunoyer, and Augustin Thierry set the productive classes against those who live by plunder through the state, a version Raico holds can explain Marxist societies where Marxism cannot.
Philosophy and MethodologyPolitical Theory
Read the transcript 6,212 words
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03
47:16 Download MP3
Marxist and Austrian Class Analysis 1988
Hoppe restates Marx's class theory of history on Austrian grounds. He accepts Marx's theses on class rule, the state, and imperialism but rejects the exploitation theory, since wages reflect time preference, and locates exploitation in violations of the homesteading principle, chiefly by the state.
Austrian Economics OverviewCalculation and KnowledgeOther Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 5,630 words
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04
47:40 Download MP3
The Marx Nobody Knows 1988
North argues that Marx's own life undercuts Marxist class analysis. Marx lived a bourgeois life on money from backers and Engels and stopped publishing after the first volume of Capital, and Marxism wins converts through a secular millennial vision, recast today as liberation theology.
Other Schools of ThoughtBiographies
Read the transcript 6,416 words
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05
37:10 Download MP3
Eugen von Boehm-Bawerk's Critique of Karl Marx 1988
Ebeling presents Böhm-Bawerk's critique of Marx's labor theory of value. Böhm-Bawerk faulted Marx's circular treatment of skilled labor, his picture of the economy as a single firm, and his neglect of time preference in explaining interest; Ebeling holds that he, and later Mises, defeated Marxist economics.
Calculation and KnowledgeOther Schools of ThoughtBiographiesWorld History
Read the transcript 5,374 words
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06
49:51 Download MP3
Marx and the Organization of Labor Under Socialism 1988
Evers examines what Marx and Engels actually proposed for workers under socialism. Moneyless central planning, factory discipline, labor vouchers, assigned jobs, and labor armies, he argues, empower a political bureaucracy rather than emancipate the working class.
Calculation and KnowledgeOther Schools of ThoughtPolitical TheoryProduction Theory
Read the transcript 6,029 words
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07
38:25 Download MP3
Foundations of Marx's Philosophy and Economics 1988
Gordon traces Marx's economics to a method taken from Hegel and the Greek materialists. That method seeks a hidden reality beneath appearances, yields the labor theory of value and a history driven by the forces of production, and led Marx to dismiss rights.
Philosophy and MethodologyPolitical Theory
Read the transcript 3,756 words
People in this series
Speakers
David Gordon, David Osterfeld, Gary North, Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Ralph Raico, Richard M. Ebeling, Williamson M. Evers.
Recording dates, summaries and topics for 7 of these 7 lectures come from the Mises Institute's page for Marx and Marxism, checked 2026-07-23. The series and lecture summaries above them are written for this archive from the transcripts.
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About this series
- Is Marx and Marxism free to listen to?
- Yes. All 7 mirrored recordings stream in the browser or download as audio, at no cost and with no signup.
- How long is Marx and Marxism?
- 7 recordings, 5 hours in total.
- Who lectures in Marx and Marxism?
- David Gordon, David Osterfeld, Gary North, Hans-Hermann Hoppe, and 3 others.
- When was Marx and Marxism recorded?
- 1988, per the recording dates recovered for this series.
- Is there a transcript of Marx and Marxism?
- Yes. Every lecture in the series has one, 38,863 words in total, free to read on each lecture's page and searchable in the browser.
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