Breaking Away: The Case for Secession, Radical Decentralization, and Small Polities

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A book on decentralization (≠ (exactly) [principle of sudsidiarity](https://isidore.co/calibre/#panel=book_details&book_id=7822)). "Catholic" mentioned *passim*.ref:8.48:> [2](javascript:void\(0\))Subsidiarity is a term often used in Catholic and European contexts which is largely synonymous in its usage with “local control,” “federalism,” or “local sovereignty” in the American context. I will not use the term extensively here, however, because the term is itself imprecise and its meaning is contested among scholars who study subsidiarity. That is, it is no more precise than similar terms like “decentralization” or “localism.” Policy prescriptions for a political system adhering to principles of subsidiarity can vary wildly because a commonly accepted definition of subsidiarity is simply that powers should be allocated to the individual or institution that can best or most appropriately exercise them. This is sometimes interpreted to favor giving more power to lower levels of government hierarchy, but not in many cases. Standards for determining what constitutes the best or most appropriate exercise of this power is quite malleable and even those claiming to desire subsidiarity often support further centralization of power because the central authority is in many cases deemed to be the “appropriate” or “best” institution to exercise the power in question. Other standards used to determine whether subsidiarity should favor local control or central control include economic efficiency and justice, but opponents of decentralization need only insist that the central government can deliver more efficiency or more just outcomes. Thus, advocating for subsidiarity (or decentralization) broadly understood, doesn’t necessarily advance the position that more decentralization is better. The goal of this book, rather, is to illustrate why *greater* decentralization is desirable—a position that does not necessarily follow from favoring subsidiarity or decentralization in general terms. For more on why subsidiarity is regarded as “vague” and “slippery” see Markus Jachtenfuchs and Nico Krisch, “Subsidiarity in Global Governance,” *Law and Contemporary Problems* 79, no. 2 (2016): 5; Andreas Føllesdal, Competing Conceptions of Subsidiarity,” *Nomos* 55 (2014): 214–30; Michelle Evans, “The Principles of Subsidiarity as a Social and Political Principle in Catholic Social Teaching,” *Solidarity: The Journal of Catholic Social Thought and Secular Ethics* 3, no. 1 (November 2013): 45–46."[Randian Villains with Millennial Characteristics: FTX, Fraud, and the Fed](https://mises.org/library/randian-villains-millennial-characteristics-ftx-fraud-and-fed)" (Mises Institute) cf. "[Crypto-Currency Meltdown Is a Lesson on the Nature of Money and Wealth](https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/11/crypto-currency-meltdown-is-a-lesson-on-the-nature-of-money-and-wealth/)" by [John Horvat II](https://www.returntoorder.org/author/editor/)* * *§ "What If the Red States and Blue States Split Up?" (ref:21.41-53) was interesting. If Arizona seceded, it'd have the 3rd largest air-force in the world! It has the largest "[✈️ boneyard](https://airplaneboneyards.com/davis-monthan-afb-amarg-airplane-boneyard.htm)" in the 🌎, outside Tucson.The §§ of ch. 13 on the benefits of ☢️ proliferation (ref:22.1-71) were interesting, too. I've always wondered [why home-sized ☢️ power generators don't exist](https://engineering.stackexchange.com/q/60406/6085); it seems to be due to political reasons. Some states are considering [micro ☢️ power generators](https://isidore.co/calibre/#panel=book_details&book_id=8595) (fit on a flatbed semi); they should be more common in 10-15 years. This book doesn't mention decentralized currencies like ₿ (though it does cite ₿ expert [Eric Sammons](https://isidore.co/calibre/#panel=book_details&book_id=7817)) or [decentralized software](https://decentralizationcentral.com/), but decentralization is certainly the future! [*Flee to the Fields*](https://isidore.co/calibre/#panel=book_details&book_id=9752) p. 54: "the watchword of the [return-to-the-land] Movement is, and must remain, *Decentralization*."! Amen!* * **Breaking Away* differs from countless other books on secession and decentralization in that it considers examples and benefits of secession and radical decentralization in a much broader historical, geographical, and theoretical context. This book is for anyone interested in how issues of secession and decentralization come up again and again worldwide as communities of human beings seek self-determination, freedom, and economic prosperity. McMaken also examines small states which are often examples of successful cases of secession and radical decentralization.The reader will come away with a better understanding of how political decentralization continues to be relevant, useful, and important in the modern world.Table of ContentsForeword by Carlo Lottieri Preface Introduction: Universal Rights, Locally EnforcedPart I: Big States, Small States, and Secession 1\. More Choices, More Freedom, Less Monopoly Power 2\. Political Anarchy Is How the West Got Rich 3\. Why Regimes Prefer Big States and Centralized Power 4\. Why the Classical Liberals Wanted Decentralization 5\. Secession as a Path to Self-Determination 6\. Nationalism as National Liberation: Lessons from the End of the Cold War 7\. A Brief History of Secession Plebiscites in Europe 8\. Why the US Supports Secession for Africans, but Not for Americans 9\. From Taxes to Trade, More Secession Means More Freedom 10\. If California Secedes, What Happens to Locals Who Opposed Secession? 11\. How Small Is Too Small? 12\. When It Comes to National Defense, It’s More than Size that Matters 13\. If America Splits Up, What Happens to the Nukes?Part II: Decentralization and Democracy 14\. Why “One Man, One Vote” Doesn’t Work 15\. Democracy Doesn’t Work Unless It’s Done LocallyPart III: Lessons from America’s Past, and Strategies for the Future 16\. How Early Americans Decentralized Military Power 17\. Before Roe v. Wade, Abortion Policy was a State and Local Matter 18\. When Immigration Policy Was Decentralized 19\. Why Indian Tribal Sovereignty Is Important 20\. Sovereignty for Cities and Counties: Decentralizing the American StatesPostscript: A Tale of Two Megastates: Why the EU Is Better (In Some Ways) than the US Index [Ryan McMaken](https://mises.org/profile/ryan-mcmaken) ([@ryanmcmaken](https://twitter.com/ryanmcmaken)) is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. Send him your article submissions for the *Mises Wire* and *Power and Market* , but read [article guidelines](https://mises.org/blog/article-submission-guidelines-mises-daily) first. Ryan has a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in public policy and international relations from the University of Colorado. He was a housing economist for the State of Colorado. He is the author of [*Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre*](http://store.mises.org/Commie-Cowboys-The-Bourgeoisie-and-the-Nation-State-in-the-Western-Genre-Digital-Book-P10923.aspx).[Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0)