Timeline: The Development of Liberalism
Changes to Class System (19th Century)
Ancient Greek Democracy
Haudenosaunee Confederacy (15th Century to 1776)
Renaissance (14th-16th Century)
French Revolution(1789-1799)
Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a system of political reform called demokratia also known as "rule by the people" in 507 B.C.
Even though it was the first system of democracy, it was highly restricted
- Only adult male citizens were allowed to vote the rest of the population was excluded
- Ancient Athenians participated in a direct democracy, every citizen (male) went to the assembly and courts to vote on the issues.
Contributions that led to the development of classical liberalism
- The revolution was a way to promote liberalism and the rights of an individual
- Important documents such as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen showed the influence of liberal thought of French Society
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen promoted liberal ideas and concepts such as rights to liberty, property, security, and freedom of speech
Haudenosaunee Confederacy influence on classical liberalism
- Introduced the idea of elected leaders and branches of government
- Gender equality
- The oral constitution of the Haudenosaunee confederacy provided a model for the Constitution of the United States
- Set North America on a path that promoted individual rights and freedoms
- It is believed that the Haudenosaunee people influenced liberal thoughts in North America
- Renaissance is also defined as rebirth, it was a revival of classical art and knowledge from Ancient Greece and Rome
- It was a time of cultural, social, artistic and political reform
- Many inventions improved education and gave commoners access to information previously restricted to the higher ups
- French society was split into social classes (First,Second,Third Estate) where the working class had no rights, and lack of representation in the government,
- France was having financial problems due to the King’s funding of the American War of Independence
- The government was practically bankrupt despite the huge taxes paid by ordinary citizens which affected their livelihood (extreme poverty)
- Due to lack of necessary reform, representatives of the Third Estate decided to revolt against King Louis XVI authority .
- 6 nations (Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora, Oneida and Onondaga) that were previously at war with one another came together through the Great Law of Peace
- The Great Law of Peace demanded that power was divided amongst the branches of the government, and guaranteed certain rights and freedoms
- Leaders were elected by their worth and each tribe had a role in the government
In the past, people gained wealth through land ownership, there was no way to move up "the social class" because a person was "born" into it and remained in that social class. The new class system made it possible for citizens to move to a higher class and acquire wealth if they wanted to. Classical liberalism principles that influenced the new class system the most were economic freedom, self-interest, and private property. Due to changes in class system, democratic governments today had the ability to implement and use the changes in class structure in the 19th century.
Ancient Greek Democracies influence on classical liberalism
- Showed the idea that average citizens could have a say in government
- The first ever democracy where citizen's votes were applied in the government system
- used as a steppingstone for other societies to implement their own versions of a democracy
Renaissance influence on classical liberalism
- Humanists believed in individual worth, reason over faith and that individuals had the ability to choose their own nature which contradicted the belief that people were controlled by a higher power (Kings and other people of the nobility)
- The ideas of Humanists influenced the need for more rights and freedoms
- The ideas from the Renaissance inspired the philosophers from the age of enlightenment
Industrial Revolution (18-19th Century
Magna Carta (1215)
The Enlightenment (18th Century
American Revolution (1776-1783)
Reformation (1517-1648)
The Magna Carta was the most celebrated document in English history because it gave peasants and citizens of Great Britan basic rights and freedoms.
- It was a written by the Barons to stop a King from abusing his power and protecting their properties.
- It limited the power of the monarchy and was designed to distribute power between the King and his subjects
- Reconstruction of the Church in Europe
- Began with Martin Luther who believed that the Church was corrupt and held too much power, wrote a document (95 theses) criticizing the Catholic Church's practice of selling "indulgences" to remove sin.
- John Locke and ideas from the age of enlightenment influenced the American Revolution greatly
- American colonies that were suffering under British rule declared themselves independent from Great Britain and created a republican form of government controlled by American citizens
- Once American colonies declared their independence, a committee drafted a formal statement of the colonies' intentions (Declaration of Independence)
- The war against Great Britain symbolized key principles in classical liberalism because once America won, the revolutionaries promoted ideas such as "all men are created equal", having certain unalienable rights, and self-interest which are part of the principles in classical liberalism
The industrial revolution involved changes in the social, economic and political aspects of the lives of most citizens. It started in Britain and ended up spreading all over the world. Societies changed from an agricultural society to a modern industrial one.
Many factors that affected the changes were also interconnected with the principles of classical liberalism such as:
- the enclosure acts which allowed the wealthy to become landowners
- to privately own their land which forced many off of the land and into towns and cities to look for work
- the wealthy and middle class demanded more individual and economic freedoms
- Self-interest and competition made it possible for individual entrepreneurs and inventors to take risks and invest/make profits out of their companies and inventions.
European philosophers during the age of enlightenment promoted the ideas of the Renaissance and Reformation. Ideas regarding human nature led to the development of classical liberalism which eventually led to our modern liberal democracies. Some of the influential philosophers of this time were John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean Rousseau. Because of the enlightenment, a wealthy middle class became on the rise. People started to trust in logic instead of faith which paved the way for more rights and freedoms. The acceptance of rational thought and trust in human nature led to the formation of the industrial revolution
Magna Carta's influence on classical liberalism
- Paved the way to one of the principles of classical liberalism: individual rights and freedoms
- Questioned the "divine rights of kings"
- Helped in the development of the rule of law principle because the Magna Carta stated that a free man was not to be convicted by laws other than those implemented by Great Britain
Reformation influence of classical liberalism
- People had fewer ties to the Church and more emphasis was placed on self-interest, equality, personal rights and freedoms
- The power of the people and faith in the rational nature of humans grew as the Church's power decreased
- People had the chance to make their own decisions based on reason and rational without having the Church to intervene and make decisions for them