Spanish economist Álvaro Flórez Estrada (1766–1853) showed a brave commitment to civil and political liberties, but his opposition to private landownership undermined his case for liberalism. Like John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer, Estrada failed to realize that when the coercive power of politics is allowed to violate liberty in one domain, it invariably violates liberty in others.

Carlos Rodríguez Braun is Professor of History of Economic Thought at the Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
Economic History and DevelopmentEconomyEuropeInternational Economics and Development
Other Independent Review articles by Carlos Rodríguez Braun
Spring 2017 Pride and Profit: The Intersection of Jane Austen and Adam Smith
Winter 2016/17 Piketty Misreads Austen
Summer 2012 The Values of Free Enterprise versus the New Populism in Latin America
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