My colleague at the Adam Smith Institute, Dr Eamonn Butler, has written a thoroughly absorbing history of the Mont Pelerin Society, originally founded by FA Hayek and other liberal (pro-freedom) intellectuals shortly after the Second World War. It was founded to provide an intellectual antidote to the centralism and socialism then so prevalent.
Eamonn’s book, “Scaling the Heights,” is published by the Institute of Economic Affairs, and presents a blow-by-blow account from the society’s early years to the present day. Far from the conspiracy theorists’ idea of it as a sinister, secret organization funded by dark corporate money and focused on world domination, the reality is of a hand to mouth existence, a string and sealing wax affair, always struggling against inadequate funding, and with different views about what its purpose and method of operation ought to be.
Hayek’s original insistence that the MPS be intellectual, rather than political, met with some disagreement from those wanting it to be more pro-active, but Hayek prevailed, and the MPS remained an organization that held meetings to discuss ideas. There was disagreement, too, as to the degree to which a free society could encompass some degree of redistribution to those needing help.
These disputes could be rancorous, sometimes prompting bitter personal exchanges, and Eamonn makes no attempt to sanitize and gloss over them. Disagreements about how the MPS should be organized sometimes led to resignations, and Eamonn covers these events in a very readable, and indeed at times thrilling account.
The success of the Society is a matter of record. Several of its members were awarded Nobel Prizes, and its ideas on how a free society and a free economy could promote prosperity better than the alternatives gained widespread, though by no means total, acceptance. More of the world today is freer and wealthier than it would have been without the ideas put across by Mont Pelerin members. In some countries it was able to give to isolated supporters of freedom and free markets the assurance that they were not alone, but part of a worldwide movement.
It’s an enthralling story. An isolated minority viewpoint became widespread and influenced governments around the world, not by political pressure, but by the strength and intellectual rigour of its ideas,
They didn't even agree on the name, so after much debate, they decided to call the society after the place in Switzerland where they were meeting. I went there for the 50th anniversary of the society, and was impressed by the fact that a small band of scholars meeting there in 1947 went on to change the world. Eamonn’s account of how they did that is written in a very readable style and makes a huge contribution to understanding what the MPS is about, and how it became what it is today. Highly recommended reading for lovers of liberty.