The state is a predatory entity. It does not produce anything but rather steals resources from those engaged in production. In applying this view to American history, Rothbard asks: How can an organization of this type sustain itself? It must engage in propaganda to induce popular support for its policies. A wealth of citations and references supports the basic premise.

Murray Rothbard was known as the state's greatest living enemy, and this book is his most succinct and powerful statement on the topic. He explains what a state is and what it is not. He shows how it is an institution that violates all that we hold as honest and moral, and how it operates under a false cover. He shows how the state wrecks freedom, destroys civilization, and threatens all lives and property and social well being, all under the veneer of "good intentions."