About this episode

Mark Thornton discusses the misconceptions surrounding war and its economic implications, drawing on Ludwig von Mises' insights.

On the latest episode of Minor Issues, Mark Thornton examines the “dupes of war”—citizens trained by government, schools, and historians to accept false stories about the causes, costs, and supposed benefits of war. Drawing on Ludwig von Mises, Mark argues that war is not caused by isolated incidents or sudden crises, but by statism, nationalism, interventionism, and state worship. He challenges the standard narratives around World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, wartime “prosperity,” and government-funded innovation, warning that war benefits politicians, bankers, the military-industrial complex, and global power elites while destroying lives, capital, trade, and civilization itself. On Side B, Thornton joins Kai Hoffmann to discuss the three Austrian “bust signals”: asset bubbles, price inflation, and the K-shaped economy. He also covers gold, silver, commodities, war-driven supply shocks, Fed propaganda, and why younger people are increasingly hungry for real economics. 2026 is the Year of Rothbard—Murray's 100th birthday—and we're celebrating by giving away free copies of The Origins of the Federal Reserve through July 31. Grab yours today at https://mises.org/issuesfree…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Thornton

Guest: Kai Hoffmann

Topics covered

• war and statism
• Austrian economics
• propaganda
• foreign conflict
• economic signals
• government intervention

Keywords

• war
• statism
• propaganda
• Austrian economics
• economic signals
• Pearl Harbor
• World War I
• World War II
• supply shocks
• Fed propaganda

Sponsors

Mises

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mises, Federal Reserve, Minor Issues

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• The Fed’s New Face, Same Old Game · June 20, 2026
• Why Politicians Lie—and How Easy Money Keeps the Boom Alive · June 13, 2026
• Taxpayers vs. Tax-Consumers: Rothbard’s Real Theory of Taxes and Spending · June 6, 2026

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