The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were

“The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.” — Ludwig von Mises

Hear now, O child of reason, the solemn warning of Ludwig von Mises, the wise economist and philosopher who lived through the tempests of the twentieth century. He gazed upon the ruins of nations and saw a truth as ancient as civilization itself: that no force on earth has wrought greater misery than bad governments — not famine alone, nor plague, nor storm, but the deliberate cruelty born of corrupted power. For when the state, meant to protect, turns against its people, the sword meant for justice becomes the instrument of despair.

The words of Mises were not spoken from the comfort of theory. He lived through the dark age when Europe trembled beneath the boots of totalitarianism. He saw with his own eyes the rise of regimes that promised equality and order, yet delivered chains and graves. The Nazi tyranny in Germany, the Soviet terror in Russia — these were not the work of wild beasts or mindless mobs, but of governments, organized and efficient, turning the machinery of law into a weapon against the innocent. The worst evils of mankind, he observed, come not from chaos but from order without conscience.

To understand Mises’ wisdom, one must first grasp the difference between power and justice. A bad government does not always appear as a tyrant in armor; often, it comes cloaked in promises — safety, equality, prosperity. Yet behind its words lies the hunger for control. The people, weary and fearful, yield their freedom for comfort, their rights for protection. Thus, little by little, the soul of a nation is bartered away, until the citizens find themselves ruled not by law but by decree. And when that day comes, the worst evils no longer descend from the heavens — they rise from the very hands that were elected to guard them.

Consider the tale of Cambodia, where the Khmer Rouge, in the name of purity and equality, slaughtered millions of their own. Farmers, teachers, and children were sent to the fields to die, all by the command of the state. There were no invaders, no barbarians — only bad governance twisted into madness. Or recall the gulags of Siberia, where men froze beneath the silent watch of their own government’s flag. Each evil began not with violence, but with laws. Not with rebellion, but with obedience.

Mises, in his wisdom, did not condemn government itself, but its corruption — its failure to remember that it exists for service, not dominion. A good government, humble and restrained, protects the liberty of its people like a shepherd guards his flock. But a bad one forgets its purpose and seeks to rule rather than to serve. It begins to see its citizens not as individuals, but as tools, as numbers, as means to an end. And when humanity is reduced to statistics, compassion dies — and evil finds its throne.

So, what lesson must the generations learn? It is this: never trust power without accountability, nor freedom without vigilance. The people must remain ever watchful, for tyranny often wears the face of benevolence. When rulers grow too comfortable, question them. When governments grow too large, limit them. When policies demand obedience without reason, resist them. For liberty, once surrendered, is rarely returned without blood. The worst evils thrive not because the wicked are strong, but because the free grow complacent.

Therefore, my child, cherish your freedom as you would your breath. Do not despise government, but demand of it humility. Let it be the servant, never the master. For history is a graveyard of nations that forgot this truth — where rulers sought glory and left behind ashes. Remember Mises’ warning, and pass it to those who come after: that the greatest danger to mankind is not the rage of nature, but the arrogance of men who believe they can rule without conscience. Guard your liberty, and you guard humanity itself.