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594 BCE
Ancient Greek Democracy
A man named Solon lays the foundation for a Greek democracy, replacing the current Draconian Law. The Ancient Greeks were the first society to establish a democracy, and their ideas of religion, speech, and freedom are still present in modern society. -
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
King John of England agrees to a charter called the Magna Carta Liberatum. An agreement that solved the conflict between King John and his men over taxes and disputes with the Pope, it's arguably one of the most celebrated documents in English history. The Magna Carta's content was designed to re-balance power between the King and his subjects. It limited the power of monarchs and introduced the idea of lawful process and of a jury. Kings would not have a much power as before. -
Jan 1, 1450
Renaissance
The Renaissance is one of the most well-known periods of history, famous for its major cultural, social, political, intellectual, and artistic reform. Invention and innovation were booming and new ideas were encouraged and embraced. Instead of clinging to traditions of the past, Europeans were looking to the future with optimism. -
Jan 1, 1550
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
Many Indigenous nations come together under the "Great Law of Peace." The key principles of this treaty are the rights and freedoms to speak one's mind and follow their choice of religion, division of powers among the government, equal participation (including women). This was one of the first democratic systems in history. -
Reformation
The Reformation refers to the restructuring of the Church in Europe. It was started by Martin Luther who believed the Church had too much power and had become corrupt. Over the next few years the influence of humanism introduced new ideas, such as reason-based decision making, which reduced the power of the Church and increased the common faith in the rational nature of mankind. -
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution caused extreme changes to the political, social, and economic aspects of citizens' lives. Private property, individual rights and freedoms, self-interest, competition, and technology are all factors that which supported the revolution. As a result of better and more efficient farming technology, there were more food but fewer workers were needed. People demanded more political rights to go with their new economic freedom. -
The Enlightenment
The Renaissance and Reformation caused a greater belief in individual importance and the power of reason. European philosophers helped to promote these ideas about human nature, which led to the development of classical liberalism. -
American Revolution
Ideas from the Enlightenment contributed to the American Revolution. The Americans declared independence from the British monarchy and created their own form of government which was much more influenced by liberalism. -
French Revolution
In the French Revolution, the people fought for equality rights and freedoms. They wanted to escape the rigid class structure that gave members of the church and the nobility greater rights and freedoms than ordinary citizens. this all eventually led to the Declaration of the Rights of Man being signed in 1789. -
Changes to the Class System
All societies started to change as the ideas of classical liberalism slowly became more and more popular. Social classes died off while a wealth-based class structure began to emerge. Liberalism valued the individual as unique and gave more economic opportunities. it also valued private property and economic freedom. People had more and better opportunities to become wealthy and successful.
