A Short History of English Liberalism

The author traces the evolution of liberal political thought in Britain over roughly a century and a half, defining liberalism as a disposition to extend equal opportunity and individual self-development. He contrasts this habit of mind with Tory assumptions of hierarchical duty, surveys the political landscape from the late eighteenth century through reformist movements, examines the French Revolution's effect on opinion, and charts the rise of middle-class influence and economic liberalism. He critiques imperial expansion for its despotic governance and corrosive impact on domestic freedom, and follows the fortunes of liberal ideas into the early twentieth century.