The Classical liberalism described
by Adam
Smith, John
Stuart
Mill and others, broadly emphasized
the importance of free markets, civil
liberties and
laissez-faire style
governance with a minimum of
interference.
This
approach
dominated the liberal tradition
during the 19th century. The
widening disparity between rich and
poor in the late 19th century,
especially in England and Germany,
began a trend toward social
liberalism that emphasized a greater
role for the state in ameliorating
20
The intellectual progress of
the Enlightenment,
which
questioned old traditions about
societies
and
governments,
eventually coalesced into powerful
revolutionary
movements
that
overthrew ancient regimes all over
the
world,
especially
in Europe, Latin America, and North
America. Liberalism fully flourished
as a comprehensive movement
which influenced later events on
the European continent and around
the world.
Page
The
1776
Declaration
of
Independence of the United States
of America founded the nascent
republic on liberal principles without
the encumbrance of hereditary
aristocracy. It stated that "all men
are created equal and endowed by
their creator with certain unalienable
rights, among these life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness," echoing
John Locke's phrase "life, liberty,
and property". Later on, the French
Revolution overthrew the hereditary
aristocracy, with the slogan "liberty,
equality, fraternity," and was the first
state in history to grant universal
male suffrage. The Declaration of
the Rights of Man and of the
Citizen, a foundational document of
both liberalism and human rights,
first codified in 1789 in France.