Liberty had been weakened long before the dictators rose.... in every single case before the rise of a totalitarian governments there had been a period dominated by economic planners. Each of these nations had an era under starry-eyed men who believed that they could plan and force the economic life of the people... They exalted the State as the solvent of all economic problems. These men thought they were liberals. But they also thought they could have economic dictatorship by bureaucracy -- and at the same time preserve free speech, orderly justice and free government. They might be called the totalitarian liberals. They were the spiritual followers of the New Deal. These men are not Communists or Fascists [though those were about]... but they shifted the relation of government from free enterprise from umpire to controller! Directly or indirectly they politically controlled credit, prices, production or industry, farmer and laborer. They devalued, pump-primed and deflated. They controlled private business with government competition, by regulation and by taxes. They met every failure with demands for more and more power and control... when it was too late, they discovered that every time they stretched the arm of government into private enterprise, except to correct abuse, then somehow, somewhere, men's minds became confused. At once men became fearful and hesitant. Initiative slackened, industry slowed down production. [Which resulted in] chronic unemployment and frantic government spending in an effort to support the unemployed. Government debts mounted and finally government credit was undermined. Out of the miseries of their people there grew pressure groups [we call them special interests] -- business, labor, farmers -- demanding relief or special privelege. Class hate poisoned cooperation.