Historical Development of the European Ideas that eventually formed Classical Liberalism
By hobgoblin
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Jan 1, 1400
The Renaissance (14th to 16th centuries)
- awareness of individualism
- growth of secularism
- humanism
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Jan 1, 1517
Protestant Reformation
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American Revolution
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French Revolution
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The Enlightenment (18th Century)
- the Age of Reason (acceptance of the power of human reason)
- the worth of the individual
- natural and inalienable rights
- deomcratic values
- authority rests with the people, not the ruler
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The Industrial Revolution (18th and 19th centuries)
- the power of the market
- individual reward for individual initiative
- freedom to pursue personal wealth
- individual responsibility for success or failure
- progress, inventiveness, innovation, efficiency
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Liberalism
a movement born out of the ideas of the Enlightenment (political parent) and the Industrial Revolution (economic parent)