In this episode of Minor Issues, Mark Thornton revisits a prophetic 1970s address by Nobel laureate F.A. Hayek that laid the intellectual groundwork for Bitcoin. Delivered during the depths of stagflation, Hayek’s “International Money” lecture critiques central bank monopoly, exposes the failure of Keynesian inflationism, and calls for the denationalization of money. Mark unpacks how Hayek’s radical proposal for competing private currencies was decades ahead of its time, and why it matters more than ever in today’s age of government-managed inflation and crypto crackdowns.

Choice in Currency by F. A. Hayek (based on his address, "International Money"): https://mises.org/MI_127_A

The Denationalisation of Money by F. A. Hayek: https://mises.org/MI_127_B

"Hayek Predicting Bitcoin" (excerpted from the May 1, 1984, interview with James Blanchard at the University of Freiburg): https://mises.org/MI_127_C

"The Last Days of Satoshi: What Happened When Bitcoin’s Creator Disappeared" by Pete Rizzo (Bitcoin Magazine): https://mises.org/MI_127_D

"Bitcoin" (1440): https://mises.org/MI_127_E

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In this episode of Minor Issues, Mark Thornton features his recent appearance on the Liberty and Finance podcast. Mark pulls back the curtain on the geopolitical theater, exposing how monetary control, regime change, and imperial ambition are driving global conflict. From gold's rising value as a gauge of fear to the erosion of public trust in fiat money and the US government, he argues the real war is economic—and it's already begun.

Alongside these dangers, Mark offers hope: an informed public, sound money alternatives, and the growing momentum for a monetary reset built on gold and liberty.

"Gold/Silver Ratio Signaling Rapid Reversal and Recession Coming" by Mark Thornton (on the Liberty and Finance podcast): https://mises.org/MI_126_A

"The Gold-Silver Ratio" (Minor Issues, Episode 119): https://mises.org/MI_119

"Preparing for War" (Minor Issues, Episode 123): https://mises.org/MI_123

Register for the 2025 Mises Institute Supporters Summit in Delray Beach, Florida, October 16–18: https://mises.org/ss25

On this episode of Minor Issues, Mark Thornton unpacks the unfolding economic crisis through the lens of Ludwig von Mises’s “crack-up boom.” With inflation accelerating, deficits ballooning, and the Fed’s credibility fading, Mark outlines how reckless monetary policy and unsustainable government spending are setting the stage for stagflation—or worse. From gold’s surge to the dollar’s decline, he connects today’s market signals to Mises’s dire warnings about monetary collapse, offering a sobering look at what may lie ahead for the US economy.

"Trump (Again) Demands More Easy Money To Help Fund Even Bigger Deficits" by Ryan McMaken: https://mises.org/MI_125_A

"Interest Rates Rise Again as Treasury Auction Comes Up Short" by Ryan McMaken: https://mises.org/MI_125_B

"Powell, Trump, and the Austrian Business Cycle Time Bomb" (Minor Issues, Ep. 118): https://mises.org/MI_118

"Prospects for Hyperinflation" (Minor Issues, Ep. 116): https://mises.org/MI_116

"Are Economic Crises and Crashes Inevitable?" (Minor Issues, Ep. 112): https://mises.org/MI_112

"The Precarious State of the American Economy" (Minor Issues, Ep. 111, with Scott Horton): https://mises.org/MI_111

How Inflation Destroys Civilization by Guido Hülsmann: https://mises.org/InflationDestroys

Ludwig von Mises on Money and Inflation, edited by Bettina Bien Greaves: https://mises.org/MI_125_C

The Inflation Crisis and How to Resolve It by Henry Hazlitt: https://mises.org/MI_125_D

Register for the 2025 Mises Institute Supporters Summit in Delray Beach, Florida, October 16–18: https://mises.org/ss25