Revisionist History of War Conference

Students, apply here to attend!

“Truth is the first casualty of war.” 

This saying is said to have its origins in ancient Greece, in the writings of the playwright Aeschylus. Thus, for thousands of years, it has been recognized that most wars are wars of conquest through mass murder, plunder, and destruction. For the ruling classes, war is an opportunity. For the citizens, war means death or crippling injury, taxes, debt, sacrifice, and loss of freedoms. Hence the need for mountains of lies.

“[O]f course the people don’t want war,” the notorious Hermann Goring declared during the Nuremberg trials. “All you have to do,” he continued, “is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism.... It works the same way in any country.”

Goring was right. And in most cases the very same people who lied nations into war, then lied about the conduct of the war, have gone on to write statist histories of their wars! 

The state and its court historians spend countless resources bamboozling the public into believing in the state’s prescience, benevolence, and omnipotence while denigrating—and lying about—free market capitalism, the civil society, and the free society in general. Never is the state’s bamboozling and lying more extreme than when the subject is war, for war is the very health of the state, as Randolph Bourne wrote in his famous essay of the same name.

But it is not true that the victors always write history. We can write the history of war too, and that is exactly what we are going to do with our first history conference in almost thirty years.

Join us May 15-17, 2025, at the Mises Institute for our Revisionist History of War Conference. We will host an exciting lineup of Misesian and Rothbardian speakers who will illustrate for us—and the world—just why, for centuries, so many learned commentators have expressed the conviction that lies and propaganda are an essential ingredient—indeed the essential ingredient—of war.

Speakers

Confirmed speakers include:

Tom DiLorenzo
David Gordon
Scott Horton
Karen Kwiatkowski
Brion McClanahan
Ryan McMaken
Ilana Mercer
Jonathan Newman
Patrick Newman
Wanjiru Njoya
Joe Salerno
Phil Tourney
Mark Thornton
T. Hunt Tooley
Ron Unz

Registration

Member registration is $300, and nonmember registration is $325. Each ticket includes two receptions, two lunches, refreshments, and access to all sessions.

Accommodations

We have a room block at the Auburn University Hotel, which is about five minutes from the Institute. Use this link and book before Tuesday, April 15, to reserve at our special event rate of $175 per night before tax.

Sponsorship Opportunities

1. Be a Patron Sponsor: You will be listed as a Patron Sponsor on our printed program and in the conference book compiled of all lectures given during the event. You’ll also have VIP seating at meals. $5,000 donation.
2. Sponsor a Speaker: You will be listed as a Speaker Sponsor on our printed program, and you’ll have reserved seating with your speaker at one meal. $1,500 to $3,000 donation, depending on speaker.
3. Sponsor a Student: We have several worthy and enthusiastic students who hope to attend. $300 to $1,000 donation, which varies depending on if you wish to help the student with travel costs.

Contact Kristy Holmes at kristy@mises.org or (334) 321-2101 for more information.

Please join us for this timely, important, and historical event. The Mises Institute will publish all these radical revisionist war talks as an edited volume, a testament to the truth against the onslaughts of propaganda to come.