Erhard's vision of a social market economy was a third way, an alternative to both large-scale state intervention and the risks of laissez-faire liberalism. Germany's historical experience had demonstrated that freedom without order led to chaos, and order without freedom resulted in coercion and the renunciation of democracy.
艾哈德的社会市场经济目标是一条折衷道路，在大规模政府干预和放任自由主义所带来的危险间寻找平衡。德国的历史经验表明没有秩序的自由导致混乱，但没有自由的秩序会导致强迫和民主丧失作用。