The Lost History of Liberalism: Form Ancient Rome to the Twenty-first Century

The Lost History of Liberalism challenges our most basic assumptions about a political creed that has become a rallying cry - and a term of derision - in today's increasingly divided public square. Taking readers from ancient Rome to today, Helena Rosenblatt traces the evolution of the words "liberal" and "liberalism," revealing the heated debates that have taken place over their meaning. In this timely and provocative book, Rosenblatt debunks the popular myth of liberalism as a uniquely Anglo-American tradition centered on individual rights. She shows that it was the French Revolution that gave birth to liberalism and Germans who transformed it. Only in the mid-twentieth century did the concept become widely known in the United States--and then, as now, its meaning was hotly debated. Liberals were originally moralists at heart. They believed in the power of religion to reform society, emphasized the sanctity of the family, and never spoke of rights without speaking of duties. It was only during the Cold War and America's growing world hegemony that liberalism was refashioned into an American ideology focused so strongly on individual freedoms. Today, we still can't seem to agree on liberalism's meaning. In the United States, a "liberal" is someone who advocates big government, while in France, big government is contrary to "liberalism." Political debates become befuddled because of semantic and conceptual confusion. The Lost History of Liberalism sets the record straight on a core tenet of today's political conversation and lays the foundations for a more constructive discussion about the future of liberal democracy Acknowledgments · xi Introduction 1 chaPTer 1 What It Meant to Be Liberal from Cicero to Lafayette 8 Republican Beginnings: A Moral and Civic Ideal 9 Medieval Rearticulations: Liberality Christianized 11 Renaissance Liberal Arts 12 The Politics of Giving 15 Protestant Developments 16 American Exceptionalism and the Liberal Tradition 18 Thomas Hobbes and John Locke on Liberality 19 Enlightenment Liberality 23 Enlightenment Transformations 26 Liberal Theology and Liberal Christianity 30 Liberality Politicized 31 From Liberal Charters to Liberal Constitutions 33 America, the Most Liberal Country in the World 36 chaPTer 2 The French Revolution and the Origins of Liberalism, 1789–1830 41 The Liberal Principles of Benjamin Constant and Madame de Staël 49 Enter Napoleon 55 Liberal Parties and the Birth of Liberalism 61 Liberalism Theorized 65 Liberalism Confronts Reaction 67 Liberal Insurrectionism 72 Liberal Economic Principles 80 Liberal Exclusions 83 chaPTer 3 Liberalism, Democracy, and the Emergence of the Social Question, 1830–48 88 The Liberal Government Turns Conservative 89 Liberals on Democracy 92 Liberals and Insurrection, Again 96 Liberals Face the “Social Question” 100 Laissez-Faire and Liberalism 105 The Many Necessary Functions of Government 108 Liberals on Colonies 115 The Liberal Battle with Religion 118 The Socialist Critique of Liberal Religion 126 chaPTer 4 The Question of Character 129 The Debacle of 1848 130 Liberals Battle Socialism 132 Retreat and Reaction 136 Pius IX 139 The Problem of Selfishness 141 The Rise of the British Liberal Party 143 Laissez-Faire versus Bildung 145 The Role of the Family 148 The Religion of Humanity 151 chaPTer 5 Caesarism and Liberal Democracy: Napoleon III, Lincoln, Gladstone, and Bismarck 156 Napoleon III and Caesarism 157 Abraham Lincoln and His Liberal Friends throughout the World 168 The Liberal Republican Party 175 Gladstone, Liberal Icon 177 Bismarck, Liberalism’s Gravedigger 182 chaPTer 6 The Battle to Secularize Education 194 What’s Wrong with the French? 195 A Liberal Public School System 199 The National Liberal League, Free Thought, and Free Love 207 The Pope Strikes Back 213 chaPTer 7 Two Liberalisms: Old and New 220 The Role of the State Reimagined 221 Liberal Socialism 230 A Moral Way of Life 233 Liberal Eugenics 235 Feminism and Liberalism at the End of the Nineteenth Century 238 chaPTer 8 Liberalism Becomes the American Creed 245 A Liberal Empire 247 Racialization of the Anglo-Saxon Myth 253 From an Anglo-Saxon to an Anglo-American Liberal Empire 255 The Question of Government Intervention 260 Epilogue 265 Liberalism and the Totalitarian Threat 268 The Turn to Rights 271 The (Supposed) Illiberalism of France and Germany 274 Notes · 279 Selected Bibliography · 311 Index · 333 The changing face of the liberal creed from the ancient world to todayThe Lost History of Liberalism challenges our most basic assumptions about a political creed that has become a rallying cry—and a term of derision—in today's increasingly divided public square. Taking readers from ancient Rome to today, Helena Rosenblatt traces the evolution of the words “liberal” and “liberalism,” revealing the heated debates that have taken place over their meaning.In this timely and provocative book, Rosenblatt debunks the popular myth of liberalism as a uniquely Anglo-American tradition centered on individual rights. She shows that it was the French Revolution that gave birth to liberalism and Germans who transformed it. Only in the mid-twentieth century did the concept become widely known in the United States—and then, as now, its meaning was hotly debated. Liberals were originally moralists at heart. They believed in the power of religion to reform society, emphasized the sanctity of the family, and never spoke of rights without speaking of duties. It was only during the Cold War and America's growing world hegemony that liberalism was refashioned into an American ideology focused so strongly on individual freedoms.Today, we still can't seem to agree on liberalism's meaning. In the United States, a “liberal” is someone who advocates big government, while in France, big government is contrary to “liberalism.” Political debates become befuddled because of semantic and conceptual confusion. The Lost History of Liberalism sets the record straight on a core tenet of today's political conversation and lays the foundations for a more constructive discussion about the future of liberal democracy. The Lost History Of Liberalism Challenges Our Most Basic Assumptions About A Political Creed That Has Become A Rallying Cry - And A Term Of Derision - In Today's Increasingly Divided Public Square. Taking Readers From Ancient Rome To Today, Helena Rosenblatt Traces The Evolution Of The Words Liberal And Liberalism, Revealing The Heated Debates That Have Taken Place Over Their Meaning. In This Timely And Provocative Book, Rosenblatt Debunks The Popular Myth Of Liberalism As A Uniquely Anglo-american Tradition Centered On Individual Rights. It Was Only During The Cold War And America's Growing World Hegemony That Liberalism Was Refashioned Into An American Ideology Focused So Strongly On Individual Freedoms.--book Jacket. What It Meant To Be Liberal From Cicero To Lafayette -- The French Revolution And The Origins Of Liberalism, 1789-1830 -- Liberalism, Democracy, And The Emergence Of The Social Question, 1830-48 -- The Question Of Character -- Caesarism And Liberal Democracy: Napoleon Iii, Lincoln, Gladstone, And Bismarck -- The Battle To Secularize Education -- Two Liberalisms: Old And New -- Liberalism Becomes The American Creed Helena Rosenblatt. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The Lost History of Liberalism challenges our most basic assumptions about a political creed that has become a rallying cry - and a term of derision - in today's increasingly divided public square. Taking readers from ancient Rome to today, Helena Rosenblatt traces the evolution of the words "liberal" and "liberalism," revealing the heated debates that have taken place over their meaning. In this timely and provocative book, Rosenblatt debunks the popular myth of liberalism as a uniquely Anglo-American tradition centered on individual rights. It was only during the Cold War and America's growing world hegemony that liberalism was refashioned into an American ideology focused so strongly on individual freedoms."-- Book jacket