LIPPMANN, WALTER LCCN2016862741 (cropped)

The Colloque Walter Lippmann ( English: Walter Lippmann Colloquium), was a conference of intellectuals organized in Paris in August 1938 by French philosopher

Louis Rougier Louis Auguste Paul Rougier (; 10 April 1889 – 14 October 1982) was a French philosopher. Rougier made many important contributions to epistemology, philosophy of science, political philosophy and the history of Christianity. Early life Rougie ...

. After interest in classical liberalism had declined in the 1920s and 1930s, the aim was to construct a new liberalism as a rejection of

collectivism Collectivism may refer to: * Bureaucratic collectivism, a theory of class society whichto describe the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin * Collectivist anarchism, a socialist doctrine in which the workers own and manage the production * Collectivi ...

, socialism and '' laissez-faire'' liberalism. At the meeting, the term neoliberalism was coined by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

sociologist and

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

Alexander Rüstow Alexander Rüstow (8 April 1885 – 30 June 1963) was a German sociologist and economist. In 1938 he originated the term neoliberalism at the Colloque Walter Lippmann. He was one of the fathers of the "Social Market Economy" that shaped the econ ...

, referring to the rejection of the old ''laissez-faire'' liberalism.

Namesake

The colloquium was named after American journalist Walter Lippmann. Lippman's 1937 book ''An Enquiry into the Principles of the Good Society'' had been translated into French as ''La Cité libre'' () and was studied in detail at the meeting.

Importance

Twenty-six intellectuals, including some of the most prominent liberal thinkers, took part. The participants chose to set up an organization to promote liberalism which was called the ''Comité international d'étude pour le renouveau du libéralisme'' (CIERL). Though CIERL had few consequences because of the war, it inspired Austrian-British

and philosopher

Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek ( , ; 8 May 189923 March 1992), often referred to by his initials F. A. Hayek, was an Austrian–British economist, legal theorist and philosopher who is best known for his defense of classical liberalism. Haye ...

in the postwar creation of the Mont Pelerin Society in Switzerland. Michel Foucault's 1978–1979

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ...

lectures, published a quarter of a century later as ''

The Birth of Biopolitics ''The Birth of Biopolitics'' is a part of a lecture series by French philosopher Michel Foucault at the Collège de France between 1978 and 1979 and published posthumously based on audio recordings. In it, Foucault develops further the notion of ...

'', drew attention to the importance of the Walter Lippmann Colloquium.

Ideological cleavages

The participants were divided into two primary camps; one, represented by Ludwig von Mises, Jacques Rueff, and

Étienne Mantoux Étienne Mantoux (5 February 1913 – 29 April 1945) was a French economist, born in Paris. He was the son of Paul Mantoux. He is probably best known for his book ''The Carthaginian Peace, or the Economic Consequences of Mr. Keynes'' publishe ...

, which advocated a strict adherence to

Manchester liberalism Manchester Liberalism (also called the Manchester School, Manchester Capitalism and Manchesterism) comprises the political, economic and social movements of the 19th century that originated in Manchester, England. Led by Richard Cobden and John ...

and ''laissez-faire''; the other camp, represented by

, Raymond Aron,

Wilhelm Röpke Wilhelm Röpke (October 10, 1899 – February 12, 1966) was a German economist and social critic, best known as one of the spiritual fathers of the social market economy. A Professor of Economics, first in Jena, then in Graz, Marburg, Ista ...

, Auguste Detoeuf,

Robert Marjolin Robert Marjolin (27 July 1911 – 15 April 1986) was a French economist and politician involved in the formation of the European Economic Community. Early life and education Robert Majolin was born in Paris, the son of an upholsterer. He left ...

, Louis Marlio, and Walter Lippmann, opted for a kind of social liberalism which was more favorable to state intervention and regulation and

Keynesian Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomic theories and models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongly influences economic output a ...

solutions.

Participants

Participants of the Colloquium included: * Raymond Aron, French philosopher, sociologist, journalist and political scientist *

, Austrian and British economist and philosopher * Walter Lippmann, American writer, reporter and political commentator * Auguste Detœuf, French economist *

, French economist *

, French economist and politician * Louis Marlio, French economist * Ernest Mercier, French industrialist * Ludwig von Mises, Austro-Hungarian born economist *

Michael Polanyi Michael Polanyi (; hu, Polányi Mihály; 11 March 1891 – 22 February 1976) was a Hungarian-British polymath, who made important theoretical contributions to physical chemistry, economics, and philosophy. He argued that positivism supplie ...

, Hungarian-British polymath * Stefan Thomas Possony, Austro-Hungarian born economist and military strategist *

, German economist *

, French philosopher * Jacques Rueff, French economist *

, German sociologist and economist

Walter Eucken Walter Eucken (; 17 January 1891 – 20 March 1950) was a German economist of the Freiburg school and father of ordoliberalism. He is closely linked with the development of the concept of "social market economy". Early life Walter Eucken was born ...

was invited to the colloquium, but he was not given permission to leave Germany by the Nazi regime.

References

External links

Beacon of Liberty Amid Depression
{{neoliberalism History of liberalism Neoliberalism Conservatism in France 1938 in France 1938 conferences