The breakdown of nations
by Leopold Kohr · first published 1957
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Argues that political and economic size itself harms people, making the case that large centralized states are less humane, efficient and sustainable. Suits readers of decentralization and political theory.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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"The Breakdown of Nations", by Leopold Kohr. Big organizations, centralization... are not good for humans, nor really efficient or sustainable. Some/many/most(?) of us feel it, this book clearly shows why.
on “Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?” ↗"The Breakdown of Nations", by Leopold Kohr It clearly shows why huge human groups aren't adequate.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr (1957) Kohr presents his theory that the larger (physically) a government the worse it is. He laments how size has been ignored by political scientists, and that the pursuit of political…
on “Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2020?” ↗Interesting. Scale is an often overlooked aspect of politics. On this point, I highly recommend “The Breakdown of Nations” by Leopold Kohr, which is an entire treatise on the (negative) effects of size on nations.
on “Mini-States and Micro-Sovereignty: Democracies in East Central Europe, 1918–1923” ↗The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr.
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗"Whenever something is wrong, something is too big." This is superbly explained in Leopold Kohr's book titled "The Breakdown of Nations". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Kohr#Philosophy
on “US Congress passes bill to help advanced nuclear power” ↗Otherwise in English you have the works of Ivan Illich and The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr.
on “Swiss report reveals new details on CIA spying operation” ↗"The Breakdown of Nations", by Leopold Kohr, clearly explains the main cause of 'advanced' nations current problems.
on “Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?” ↗…and make your own what he's saying. I'd rather recommend reading basics stuff like Guy Debord (Society of Spectacle), André Gorz (Métamorphoses du travail), Schumacher (Small is Beautiful), Kohr (The Breakdown of Nations). A little bit of Bourdieu cannot hurt either
on “Ivan Illich: A Forgotten Prophet Whose Time Has Come (2021)” ↗Leopold Kohr, especially "The Breakdown of Nations"
on “Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?” ↗The Breakdown of Nations (Leopold Kohr).
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite essays?” ↗The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr: A book arguing Kohl’s theory of smallness, that size is the most important factor in human systems. Kohr argues that the size of political systems (nation states) is the source of most…
on “Ask HN: Who is reading? (December 2020)” ↗Leopold Kohr described this clearly, mainly in "The Breakdown of Nations".
on “The Modern World Has Finally Become Too Complex for Any of Us to Understand” ↗