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Period: 507 BCE to 404 BCE
Ancient Greek Democracy
Ancient Greek democracy is similar to modern democracy. Athens is thought of as the first democracy, even though only some of the population had the right to vote. Classical liberalism's idea of valuing individuals and their rights and freedoms came from Athenian democracy. -
1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was one of the earliest documents in the development of the rule of law and the establishment of individual rights and freedoms. It was signed in Britain and limited the powers of the king. Two principles of classical liberalism are the rule of law and individual rights and freedoms, which the Magna Carta helped develop. -
Period: 1450 to
Renaissance
Renaissance means "rebirth", it is considered a "bridge" between the middle ages and modern times. People drifted away from the Church and its teachings and towards individualism modeled after Greek and Roman culture. Moving away from a collectivist society where individual rights are limited towards an individualistic society where individuals have their rights protected was the a key factor in the Renaissance as well as classical liberalism. -
Period: 1500 to
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is one of the longest continuously existing democracies in the world. First nations had been at war for a long time until they agreed to abide by the Great Law of Peace (an oral constitution) and come together in an association known as the six nations. Like classical liberalism, the Great Law of Peace also valued individual rights and freedoms, democracy, and the limitation of government power. -
Period: 1517 to
Reformation
Martin Luther, a German pastor, thought the Church was too corrupt and had strayed from its purpose. The Church "reformed" by loosening its hold on people's lives, resulting in individualism and less power for the church. Limiting the control that institutions (Church or government) have over the lives of individuals is a key aspect of classical liberalism as well as the Reformation of the Church. -
Period: to
Enlightenment
The Enlightenment describes a time when power shifted from autocratic rulers to citizens, re-shaping society into a democracy. Where the government used to be based on heredity, privilege, and the Church, it became based on equality, rights, and freedoms. All of these changes happening during the Enlightenment are based on principles of classical liberalism like individual rights and freedoms, rule of law, and private property. -
Period: to
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a time where technology boomed, providing countless jobs for people in cities. Through the enclosure acts, public property became private property. As people became richer, they demanded more political power resulting in a rise in rights and economic freedom. Nations made huge profits from trade and started to compete with each other. Liberal thought guided people to make all of these decisions, leading them to a free economy, private property, and competition. -
The American Revolution
Before the revolution, Britain had many colonies in the soon-to-be USA. The people living in them wanted to be independent of Britain so they made the Declaration of Independence that established a republican government instead of being ruled by a foreign monarch. Straying away from monarchy and towards democracy is a shared idea between the American Revolution and classical liberalism. This power-shift from the monarch to the people enhances the rights and freedoms of citizens. -
Period: to
The French Revolution
Various factors including crippling debt, severe drought, and a rigid class system based on injustice caused French citizens to band together and revolt against the upper class. when they succeeded in overthrowing the king, they introduced democracy and made the Declaration of the Rights of Man which stated and protected the rights and freedoms of French citizens. Rights and freedoms are a principle of classical liberalism as well as limited government through democracy. -
Period: to
Changes To The Class System
People used to be born into a social class and could not change what class they were in. These classes faded, replaced by new classes based on wealth. People were now able to change their class no matter which one they were born into because they had rights, freedoms, and therefore opportunity to do so. Still, the classes were not completely equal because only some people could vote. A principle of classical liberalism that is responsible for this is economic freedom.
