A book by Maxwell Frazier
Volume 1Economics and the Republic
Foundations of republican survival in the real economy.
Volume I focuses on economics and the republic: wealth, debt, credit, trade, the middle class, and the pressures that turn republics into empires.
Excerpt
“When avarice takes the lead in a state, it is commonly the forerunner of its fall.” ¹
Every generation must ask whether its republic is secure, or whether the temptations of power and wealth have set it on the road to decay. The Founding generation knew this question well. They had studied Rome, Greece, and the fallen republics of Europe, and in their warnings, we hear a consistent refrain: liberty perishes not by sudden conquest, but by corruption from within. ²
The essays that follow are offered in the spirit of inquiry rather than dogma. They examine the foundations of the American experiment, compare them with other republics past and present, and test whether our institutions can withstand the pressures of faction, empire, and ambition. These papers are not prescriptions, but reflections — sparks meant to provoke debate and sharpen judgment. ³
Contents
Prologue
Part I: Economics and the Republic
- Wealth, Debt, and Liberty: Economic Foundations of Republican Survival
- The Middle Class as Guardian of Liberty
- Taxation, Finance, and the Burden of Empire
- Global Trade, Capital Flows, and Sovereignty
- Technology, Automation, and the Future of Republican Labor
Part II: The Nature of Wealth and the Invention of Credit
- Gold and the Moral Weight of Money
- The Age Before Debt: Kings, Wars, and Ruin
- The Birth of Public Credit: England’s Revolution in Trust
- Hamilton's Republic of Debt
- From Gold to Paper to Faith: The Fiat Republic
- Speculation and the Fall of Restraint
- The New Gold: Trust, Technology, and the Future of Value
- The American Dream Visa: A New Compact for Citizenship and Security
Part III: Rome and America
- Republics in Peril: Rome, America, and the Fragile Balance of Liberty
- The Economics of Republics: Rome’s Latifundia and America’s Inequality
- From Citizen-Soldiers to Standing Armies: The Republic in Arms
- Political Violence and the Collapse of Norms: The Gracchi to January 6
- Augustus and the Imperial Presidency
- The Forum and the Civic Commons: Building Spaces for a Digital Republic
- Congress as a Forum: Reclaiming the People’s House
Back Matter
- Final Words from the Author
- Bibliography