Chapter 1, The Abandoned Road Summary and Analysis

The book opens with Hayek commenting on the state of affairs. Society is threatened by various evils even though they have tried to overcome the barbarians of the past and move toward freedom. They look for every reason to explain the current situation except that it is the result of their own errors. Italy, Germany, and Russia are the results of the development in thought processes that they have all shared. Totalitarianism has come into existence.

Hayek feels that people are not aware of what is happening. They still believe they are being governed by a set of principles consistent with freedom and laissez-faire. People didn't realize they were losing their basic freedoms when they embraced the ideals of various totalitarian philosophies. Hayek admits they were warned by various philosophers about the evils of socialism...