Classical Liberalism

This was the first known democracy in the world. It included three institutions:
The Ekklesia: Made laws and other important decisions by majority or simple vote. Anyone who could vote could attend a meeting, which was held 40 times per year.
The Boule: Made up of 500 men who organized the democracy by deciding what issues would be brought up to the ekklesia. People were selected by random lottery.
The Dikasteria: The court system which was made up of 500 men over 30.
Only around 40,000 people out of around 260,000 people could vote. Slaves, women, and children were unable to.
Influence on classical liberalism: This was the first known system where people had some voice in government, which demonstrates the values of classical liberalism that people are reasonable and can be trusted to make decisions in government. Instead of being represented by a monarch that makes all the decisions, this form of democracy shows how individual voices were considered important. This idea was fundamental in the development of modern democracy in places such as Canada today. Although hardly any of the population could vote, it is still important in the development of classical liberalism because it brought the concept of democracy and having a say in government to light.

King John who reigned from 1167 to 1216 was famous for being a cruel and tyrannical king. He enforced heavy taxes in order to pay for his lost wars and reconquer lost lands. As a result, the barons, or nobles, became very discontented with his reign. Widely known as the first constitution in Europe, the Magna Carta stated that everybody including the king was subject to the rule of law, it guaranteed individuals various rights including the right to a fair trial, it outlined the rights of the Church, limited taxes, and protected individuals from illegal or unfair imprisonment. It mostly focused on the rights of the nobility, though, and it wasn’t successful. Pope Innocent III felt it was illegal and unjust, and as tensions rose a civil war broke out. Although the Magna Carta failed, it had a huge impact on the development of the ideas of classical liberalism, such as the rule of law and individual rights. These ideas influenced other governments and constitutions, such as the American Bill of Rights and Constitution.

The Renaissance was a time of change in Europe. Europe was changing socially, politically, intellectually, scientifically and artistically. During the Renaissance, thinkers called humanists began questioning long-held beliefs about religion and the value of the individual. They believed that individuals were inherently rational and worthy, a huge change from the original held belief that an individual’s value was defined by God. Reason and logic were considered more important than faith. These individualist ideas spread throughout Europe more quickly because of the creation of the printing press in 1450, which allowed thinkers to put their new ideas into books. This caused people to question the inherent worth of humans without religion. During this time feudalism was also declining, and the structure of society was changing. Trade increased and economic freedom was becoming more prominent as people wrote books and developed new inventions. The Renaissance contributed to the development of classical liberalism as new ideas surrounding the importance of the individual in society were developed. These ideas continued to develop into the Enlightenment period, where these ideas about the importance of the individual influenced the French and American Revolutions.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is known as the longest-lasting democracy in the world. It began in the 15th century when a group of six First Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora, who joined later) decided to join together under an oral constitution called the Great Law of Peace. The Great Law of Peace helped bring peace between these Six Nations. It divided powers of government similar to how powers of government are divided today. Cheifs from each nation were elected and would attend the Grand Council where decision making would occur. It established equal participation of every citizen, including women, in government, something that was almost unheard of anywhere else at the time, especially for women. It established various individual rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech and religion. It is clear that the Great Law of Peace valued many classical liberal ideas such as individual rights and freedoms. There are many similarities between the US constitution and the Great Law of Peace. Equality and the division of powers are established in both constitutions, and leaders of both the confederacy and the United States are chosen through election. Here in Canada, the same similarities can be seen with the division of powers, development of representative democracy, and the value of equality and individual rights and freedoms that are established in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The structure of the democratic government of the Haudenosaunee and the importance of individual rights and freedoms and individual participation in the government shows how classical liberal ideas were valued in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. It is clear that democracies in Canada and the United States today have taken these classical liberal ideas developed in the Haudenosaunee confederacy and established them in their governments.

The Reformation was a period that came along with the dramatic changes of the Renaissance. Before the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church had a lot of power and nearly everyone was Catholic. The Reformation began in 1517 when a German pastor named Martin Luther published his “95 Theses,” where he criticized the church’s power and practices and argued that it had become corrupt. He criticized the practice of selling indulgences, where the church would make people pay money to reduce the punishment for their sins. He questioned the power the church had over religion and suggested that the bible was the only source of true faith, not the church. A variety of other reformers followed with their own ideas surrounding the concept that the bible was independent and the church should have less power over religious ideas. Many of these reformers were influenced by humanists that believed that humans were rational and able to make decisions independently. In general, Luther believed that the church or pope did not have the authority to be the sole judge of the word of God, only individual people could do that by examining scripture and faith itself. The newly invented printing press helped spread Luther’s message around Europe, sparking new ideas in people everywhere. He also translated the bible to German, allowing more people to analyze it for themselves instead of just being told the word of God by the church. During this time a variety of preachers, including one named Thomas Munzer, encouraged peasants to rebel in the name of the bible and fight for better treatment. The ideas brought to light in the Reformation would cause violent wars between Catholics and Protestants throughout Europe. It is clear that the ideas of the Reformation held classical liberal values of the importance of the individual. Martin Luther believed that the church did not have the right to judge God’s word, and individual people must do that themselves. In this way, the Reformation brought about ideas of individual freedom.

The Enlightenment period was fundamental in the development of classical liberalism. Ideas developed in the Renaissance and Reformation became increasingly popular, and new thinkers had ideas about the human condition, and that society should be based on logic and reason. These thinkers had new classical liberal ideas that would have a huge influence on European society. For example, John Locke was an Enlightenment philosopher that had the idea that people had fundamental rights to life, liberty and property. He believed in the concept of a social contract, where the government would be trusted to protect citizens’ natural rights and in return, the citizens obey the government laws to maintain order. Considered by many to be “the father of liberalism,” he had a huge influence on the French and American Revolutions. Another Enlightenment thinker, Montesquieu, believed that government powers should be separated with checks and balances (executive, legislative, and judicial). He believed in the individual's worth and equality. Yet another thinker, John Stuart Mill, believed in the protection of individual rights and freedoms, as well as free speech. It is clear that during this time ideas of classical liberalism were spreading throughout society. People began to question the concept of individual rights and freedoms, as well as the role of government in citizens’ lives and private property. These ideas brought to light by Enlightenment thinkers had a great influence on both the French and American Revolutions, as they inspired people to question the monarchy and fight for individual rights and freedoms in society.

The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change in society that came about with the development of technology, new inventions, and classical liberal concepts such as economic freedom, individual freedom, private property and self-interest. Before the Industrial Revolution, farmers farmed shared plots of land, but as agricultural technologies advanced, these shared fields became enclosed. Due to these new technologies, fewer farmers were needed, so many moved to the cities to work in the newly developed large factories. Gold and silver from European voyages stimulated the money economy, allowing for the building of factories and financial institutions. Slowly, the mercantilist system dissipated and was replaced with a free trade system. The development of new technologies such as the steam engine allowed for large-scale production, which meant that more goods were able to be distributed to large populations. A new class of rich factory owners and other professionals arose. The Industrial Revolution was influenced prominently by classical liberal ideas. Farm fields became enclosed, and private factories and businesses developed, demonstrating the liberal value of private property. The Industrial Revolution also was a huge influence in the development of capitalism, as entrepreneurs and other business people were able to act in their self-interest with complete economic freedom. This was highly harmful, though, because complete economic freedom and self-interest allowed factory owners to force labourers, including children, to work in extremely poor and dangerous conditions for little pay. Another result of the Industrial Revolution, urbanization, resulted in a mass migration to cities due to enclosure and new factory jobs. This led to overcrowding and poor living conditions in tenement housing.

Before the American Revolution, the 13 colonies had colonial governments that were controlled by Great Britain. People had to pay British tax and tariffs. For example, the Stamp Act imposed taxes on paper documents, and the Tea Act made the East India Company the monopoly in the colonies. The desire for more rights and freedoms and greater influence in government caused unrest within the colonies. Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke influenced revolutionists to consider liberal ideas of democratic government and individual rights and freedoms. The colonists created the Continental Congress, which governed the 13 colonies to try to express their dissatisfaction with the British control and taxation. During its first meeting, it denounced this taxation and laid out the rights of the people, such as the right to life, liberty, and property. The unrest quickly turned violent, with many battles fought before actually declaring independence. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress voted for independence. The American Declaration of Independence was full of ideas of classical liberalism, such as individual rights and freedoms. The Declaration established a republican government where the citizens were in control and it solidified people's rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” It also established an individual’s rights to have a say in government and it limited the government's power to make sure that the rights of the people were preserved. The American Revolution and specifically the Declaration of Independence had a huge impact on the development of classical liberalism, as it gave individuals rights and freedoms and allowed them to have a say in government.

Before the French Revolution, France was divided into a strict social structure made up of the King, the first estate (the clergy), the second estate (the nobility), and the third estate (the commoners who made up the majority of the population). Despite being the majority of the population, the third estate got no privileges and no say in government. They did the work of farming the noble’s land and they paid all the taxes. Louis XVI was bankrupt because of France’s involvement in many wars, including the American war for independence, and also because of his personal spending. The third estate was being made to pay copious amounts of taxes. In an attempt to solve the debt problem, he called a meeting of the Estates General, which represented all the estates. Knowing they were most likely going to be outvoted by the first and second estates (which tended to vote the same), the third estate broke off from the meeting and formed the National Assembly which swore to create a French constitution under the Tennis Court Oath. The liberal ideas of individual rights and freedoms that were prominent during the French Revolution were greatly inspired by Enlightenment thinkers that valued individual participation in government and rights and freedoms. The most prominent document produced by the French Revolution was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (DOROMAC), which was full of classical liberal ideas that established individual rights and freedoms, rights to private property, equality under the law, freedom of speech, and power in the hands of the people. It is clear that classical liberalism had a great influence on the French Revolution, as the DOROMAC demonstrated liberal values of individual rights and freedoms, private property and the rule of law.

During the 19th century, the structure of society was changing dramatically due to the development of liberal ideas and new technologies in the Industrial Revolution. A new class of wealthy people emerged as owning factories and developing businesses became more common with the rise of new technologies and economic freedom. Business people were able to act in their self-interest to expand their business, goods were able to be produced better and faster, and economic freedom meant that factory owners could treat factory workers badly and pay them hardly anything to make more money. Instead of the wealth coming from land ownership, people were more able to move up in the class structure to make more money by starting their own business. The class system slowly became based on wealth instead of what class one was born into. This benefited the nouveau riche (the newly wealthy) who were able to move to a higher social stature by running businesses. However, the increased economic freedom, competition between businesses, and self-interest resulted in these factory owners being able to abuse their power by having labourers work in poor conditions for little pay. This shows how the economic values of classical liberalism (economic freedom, self-interest, and competition) had a large influence on this new class distinction.