The Law
- First published
- 1850
- Reading level
- Fairly demanding
- Price
- Free
About the book
"The Law" by Frédéric Bastiat is an essay written in 1850. Bastiat argues that government's only legitimate purpose is to protect natural rights—life, liberty, and property. He warns that law becomes perverted when used to plunder citizens rather than defend them. The work examines how governments overstep their bounds, turning legal systems into tools of exploitation. Bastiat critiques socialism, tariffs, and slavery as forms of "legal plunder" that violate individual rights while claiming moral authority.
- Property
- Law
- Justice, Administration of
- Law and socialism
- Socialism and liberty
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #44800. The Law on Wikipedia.
