Early classical liberals saw monopoly as a threat to democratic politics.

Evidence

Once upon a time, classical liberals were wary of monopoly as inherently inimical to democracy because in their view it undermined a necessary condition for democratic politics to flourish, namely, a competitive market. In the 1930s, Henry Simons, a respected University of Chicago professor and self-proclaimed classical liberal, described monopoly in all its forms—including large corporations—as “the great enemy of democracy.” As World War II drew to a close, however, the heirs to liberalism—both in Europe and the United States—worried that they needed to create a more robust liberal doctrine to prevent its demise and to stave off the looming threat of totalitarianism. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1072

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in how the neoliberal network formed — this is the pre-history framing that situates MPS as a response to perceived threats. — connects to: Neoliberalism inverted classical liberalism by defending monopoly and corporate power — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 175; Neoliberalism reversed classical liberalism’s suspicion of monopoly and corporate power. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 2133; Neoliberalism broke sharply with prewar classical liberalism rather than continuing it — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 778 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism inverted classical liberalism by defending monopoly and corporate power #expands (0.92) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 175
• Neoliberalism reversed classical liberalism’s suspicion of monopoly and corporate power. #expands (0.92) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2133
• Neoliberalism broke sharply with prewar classical liberalism rather than continuing it #expands (0.85) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 778