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A laissez-faire situation is not "created." The system is an example of what is known as "spontaneous order." This is a description of a system which is not instituted by a central body but arises by itself.

As such, "government" and "laissez-faire" are opposites, for government attempts to institute policies by virtue of its legalized monopoly on aggression while the market relies on voluntary exchange dictated by the laws of supply and demand to let it know what to produce, factors which the government doesn't use, which leads to the coordination problem (not knowing where resources are needed most).

"Laissez-faire" policy has not in fact existed in the United States. Many point to the Guilded Age as a time of markets free from government intervention while neglecting the fact that the largest companies in fact received much government help. A government monopoly on the sale of lands also led to only bigger firms being able to acquire much land.

Careful when looking at arguments against laissez-faire. For example, many people conflate Jim Crow South with laissez-faire. While racism did exist in the South, the free market proved that racism would be expensive, and in fact many companies were sued by the government for not segregating their trains.

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13y ago

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