I. What is Government?

A body of people that rule over a society, force society to sustain it, and force
individuals of society to share their wealth with others. It is important to distinguish
between law and free-exchange, as the former is ultimately backed by a deadly force,
which restricts freedom, and the latter is a voluntary transaction, which allows for
freedom's growth. As you read this and explore my theories, I will explain how
government has retained a state of evil and also how it has become less and less
desirable due to the growth of technology.

II. Origins of Government

The Origins of Government date back thousands of years when men had all but
nothing concerning technology[1]. Men, like animals, became collective in nature
without any other option as it was necessary for their survival. Tribe leaders would
dictate who worked and how, and also they determined who would benefit from the
wealth created[2]. Some would become hunters, who, in packs, would search for
animals that were native to the region, and they would bring the food to the tribe so that
the chief could divide it out between those who were in need. Others would become
gatherers, still others, makers of primitive tools and weapons, but these roles were
taken up not because each individual voluntarily chose what he or she would do, rather,
because the roles were allocated by a tribal government to ensure that the needs of the
tribe were taken care of. It was a totalitarian society and it was tribal communism[3].
Was this regime an evil[4] thing? Yes. All governments, to a greater or lesser extent
remove some level of freedom from the citizens of society, and this form of government
was no different, and was particularly oppressive. In the society that the government
was formed in, was this regime a necessary evil? Again, yes. As Ayn Rand once stated:
"Technology has freed man from men", meaning that without technology, man cannot be
free. Man, in this circumstance, had an obligation to provide for his fellow men, because
without them, he could not survive in the climate he was set in. Two major factors
caused government to be necessary in society; the first: a need to share wealth, and the
second: a need for protection.

III. A Need to Share Wealth

Individuals were forced to share their wealth amongst one another due to
extraordinarily-high living costs, which made living by oneself an impossible task. For
example, when hunting for food, an individual hunter might find himself to be completely
unsuccessful one week every few months, and at the end of that week, he will return
from his tiresome journey empty handed. WIthout support from another individual, this
hunter will starve, and by the end of three or four months every hunter will likely be dead
after experiencing their week of misfortune. Collectivism directly resulted in the survival
of mankind because when 10 hunting groups banded together, starvation would only
occur on the off chance that every group experienced their misfortunate week at
precisely the same time. Because there existed a government, which demanded that
every member of society sacrifice some portion of what they owned for the benefit of the
collective, all members of society managed to obtain their most basic needs.

IV. A Need for Protection

No one man could survive in the harsh climate of his time because he was not
strong enough to defend himself against other men. As tribes of men began to band
together, they would conquer individuals and steal their belongings; they might even eat
the individual in a rather uncivilized manner. Because men in groups could easily defeat
just one man, man could only survive if he sacrificed a portion of his freedom in
protecting others, so that they, in turn, would protect him. While it was well worth the
effort of a tribe to easily conquer a single human being, tribes were unlikely to take the
risk of dying to a group of humans that was roughly equal in size.

Trust me, I'll get back to all of this and tie it in later.

V. Creation of the United States government

Unique to the formation of any other government at the time, we skip to the late
18th century during the formation of the United States government. Unlike France, Spain
or Britain, this was a government set up by it's people. Rather than being overrun by
oppressive rulers via brute strength who instated themselves as royalty, the United
States formed a government because, while they desired it to be limited, they
recognized it's necessity. At this point in time, a government was still necessary, but it
has also become less desirable. No longer serving two main purposes, society had the
need for a government due to just one major factor.

VI. The lack of a Need to Share Wealth

Unlike the hunter-gatherers of old, civilized men of the United States of America
had lost the need to share wealth, because the cost of living had decreased rapidly due
to technological advancement. The 1800's signified the start of the Industrial revolution
in Britain, which soon spread to the rest of Europe and North America, and while the
GDP/capita of other nations at the time hovered around 500 or less, the GDP/captia of
western[5], industrialized nations skyrocketed to over 28,000[6]. And after the first
grocery stores began to open in the early 20th century, whether or not the hunter-
husband came home with food for the family was no longer in doubt. Even though the
men of the United States came together in a very large "tribe", mankind could easily
survive without the obligation to give their belongings to others. Unfortunately, even
though it was no longer a necessary function of government, laws were still in place at
the time of the United States founding that restricted the freedom of individuals by
requiring them to share their wealth. While the industrial revolution would have been a
much easier period of time for employees and their employers, short-sighted
economists demanded the existence primitive, wealth-sharing law, which largely
decreased the effectiveness of all working citizens[7]. It is at this point in time that free-
exchange becomes stronger, more efficient option than law.
VII. A Need for Protection Remains
Although individuals had no need to share their wealth, society was required to
sustain a government so that a military could exist. At the time of the United State's
founding, uncivilized thinking still existed amongst nations, who found colonialism to be
an acceptable practice. Had the United States chosen to remain a society without a
government and without a military, Britain or Spain would have more than likely
swooped in to forcefully claim any wealth created, in a fashion similar to that of that of
the hunter-gatherer age. Like I said before, tribes conquer individuals, and Europe
contained some pretty mighty tribes.

VIII. The End of a Need for Protection

By the time World War II rolled around in the 20th century, the size of tribes[8]
became enormous in the form of alliances. The United States, the British Empire and
the Soviet Union formed a tribe with a population measured in billions in the form of the
allied powers. Clearly, at this point in time, the alliance was necessary to match the size
of the Axis, an opposing tribe that was also great in number. Since that time, alliances
have only grown to be larger and larger in population, with the formation of NATO in
1949 resulting in 28-state military alliance. Though today, there is debatably still a need
for government, that need is rapidly diminishing as the need for protection is replaced by
the desire for free-exchange. As it stands today, the United States of America would
only ever be invaded by tribes of an insignificant size, even if it had no military power
whatsoever, because countries with tribes of great power would not be benefited, but
hurt by the loss of our country. Free-exchange, through the process of globalization and
technology that has made transportation costs so wildly inexpensive, is in the process of
winning the fight against law as you read this now. As more and more countries around
the globe become economically allied with the United States, and tied to it without any
desire to see it's destruction, a need for protection will cease to exist. Today, we have
reached a point of technological advancement that has caused it to make more sense to
create wealth than it does to steal wealth away from others, and once that becomes
something that is universally recognized, I believe mankind will live in a state of anarchy,
freedom and paradise.