Lord Acton (1834–1902) is often called a historian of liberty. A great historian and political thinker, he had a rare talent to reach beneath the surface and reveal the hidden springs that move the world. While endeavoring to understand the components of a truly free society, Acton attempted to see how the principles of self-determination and freedom worked in practice, from antiquity to his own time. But though he penned hundreds of papers, essays, reviews, letters and ephemera, the ultimate book of his findings and views on the history of liberty remained unwritten. Reading a book a day for years he still could not keep pace with the output of his time, and finally, dejected, he gave up. Today, Acton is mainly known for a single maxim, power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In Power Tends to Corrupt , Christopher Lazarski presents the first in-depth consideration of Acton's thought in more than fifty years. Lazarski brings Acton's work to light in accessible language, with a focus on his understanding of liberty and its development in Western history. A work akin to Acton's overall account of the history of liberty, with a secondary look at his political theory, this book is an outstanding exegesis of the theories and findings of one of the nineteenth century's keenest minds. Christopher Lazarski of Warsaw University has put together a superb book on Lord Acton's history of liberty. We are treated to a deep look into the conditions of liberty within Western civilization and its polities as these have thrived or decomposed under authoritarian weight. ― The University Bookman It should be noted that the book demonstrates an impressive synthesis of a great variety of material from the Acton archives and thus represents a serious academic achievement within the field of Acton studies. ― The Journal of Modern History Lazarski has given us a very helpful discussion of Acton's ideas contextualized within a broader current of religious, political and philosophical reflection. Especially illuminating is the exploration of Acton's ideas vis-à-vis those of Tocqueville, Burke, and Dollinger. To this extent, Lazarski advances our understanding of Catholic and liberal political thought in the nineteenth century. -- Samuel Gregg, Director of Research at the Acton Institute and author, most recently, of Wilhelm Ropke's Political Economy Lord Acton (1834–1902) is often called a historian of liberty. A great political thinker, he endeavored to understand the components of a successful free political community in which members have control over their own lives and the affairs of their polity while successfully avoiding arbitrary power exercised from above or below. He had a rare talent to reach beneath the surface and reveal the hidden springs that move events. Observing various polities and states, as well as certain trends in history, he attempted to see how those principles worked in practice, from antiquity to his own times. But though he penned hundreds of papers, essays, reviews, letters, and ephemera, the ultimate book of his findings and views on the history of liberty remained unwritten. Reading a book a day for years he still could not keep pace with the output of his time, and finally, dejected, he gave up. Today, Acton is mainly known for a single maxim: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”In Power Tends to Corrupt , Christopher Lazarskipresents the first in-depth consideration of Acton’s thought in more than fifty years. Acton left behind hundreds of articles and tens of thousands of index cards with his notes. From a mass of material Lazarski brings the work to light in accessible language, focusing on Acton’s understanding of liberty and its development in Western history, and providing a secondary look at his political theory. What results is a work akin to an overall account of the history of liberty such as Acton had planned to write. Lazarski’s book is an outstanding exegesis of the theories and findings of one of the nineteenth century’s keenest minds.Despite being very active and influential in his own time, Acton’s intellectual legacy has been largely lost to the modern readership. Now, when the understanding of liberty is as critical as ever, Lazarski goes far in bringing Lord Acton’s work the attention it deserves. Christopher Lazarski is associate dean in the School of International Relations at Lazarski University, Warsaw, and author of The Lost Opportunity: Attempts at Unification of the Anti-Bolsheviks.