MANUAL FOR THE STUDY OF CONTEMPORARY CIVILIZATION - Part Two - II. LIBERALISM AND NATIONALISM - 1. THE POLITICAL LIBERALISM OF 1815-1850

Sep 28, 2026

A study manual section explains liberalism and nationalism as key nineteenth-century political forces, focusing specifically on the political liberalism of 1815-1850. It traces liberalism’s intellectual roots in British constitutional experience and the French Enlightenment, defines liberty as voluntary and grounded in conscious consent, and contrasts liberalism with conservatism regarding privileges and rights. It also links liberal political goals to freedom of contract, limits on government, constitutional-parliamentary forms, and the historical conditions enabling liberal governance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

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Pages26

Reading Time40 min

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II. LIBERALISM AND NATIONALISM

1. The Political Liberalism of 1815-50

2. The Nationalism of 1815-70

3. Liberal Nationalism in Action

4. The Subordination of Liberalism to Nationalism

901C76a v.元p.3 # MANUAL FOR THE STUDY OFCONTEMPORARY CIVILIZATION The Development of Western Institutions and Ideas Prepared bythe Contemporary Civilization StaffColumbia College PART TWO ## II. LIBERALISM AND NATIONALISM 1. The Political Liberalism of 1815-50 3 ll 2. The Nationalism of 1815-70 3.Liberal Nationalism in Action18 A. The liberal revolutions of 184813 B. The struggle for Italian unifica-tion18 4. The Subordination of Liberalism toNationalism18 A. The opposition to liberalism;conservative forces18 B. Louis Napoleon ana the subordina- tion of liberalisn to nationalism 20 C. The unification of Germany byBismarck.20 New York Columbia University Press II.LIBERALISM AND NATIONALISM 1.THE POLITICAL LIBERALISM OF 1815-1850(by William 0.Shanahan) For the nineteenth century no political doctrine was ofsuch decisive importance as that of liberalism. In it was tobe found an expression of the ideals of the age that emergedfrom the British constitutional experience of the eighteenthcentury and from the French Enlightenment.These powerfulinfluences molded a political doctrine that eventually dis-placed those forms of absolutism that survived the FrenchRevolution. In the liberal forms and policies of governmentthe way was prepared for democratic citizenship in statesdedicated to freeing individuals,each for his own "pursuit ofhappiness. Liberalism as a philosophic principle rests on the doc-trine that human actions,to be moral,must be voluntary,andto be voluntary must be an act of choice or conscious consent.In the free and unhampered action of the individual,libera-lism sees the goal of social organization.As an attitude,liberalism consequently is opposed to all authority comingfrom above,and trusts enlightened self-interest for themaintenance of the public good. In its defence of liberty,liberalism differs from conservatism in that liberalism as aprogram is unwilling to regard existing privileges as liber-ties.Although liberalism is not theoretically committed toindividualism,the liberalism of 1815-1850 tended to empha-size freedom of individuals from governme nt and to limit theconception of freedom to the possession of rights,rather thanto the creation of opportunities. Liberalism as a creed was,then,a principle of indivi-dualism and of liberty. In individualism liberalism saw notonly an infinite spiritual value but a positive principle ofpolitical organization;the free individual was conceived asthe atom of the modern political state.Liberation of man'senergy and initiative is the first principle of social actionand reconstruction. Hence liberty becomes of paramount impor-tance for the realization of.the individual's capacities. Theliberty with which liberalism is concerned has its source infreedom of contract rather than corporative or class privi-leges.Transleting the liberty associated with human person-ality into political principles became,therefore,the firsttask of liberalism as an historical movement. Liberalism remained without form,and without influence inthe history of Europe,until it became clear that politicalliberty was necessary for maintaining_that freedom and individ-ualism to which the humanists of the Renaissance had given non-political expression.Hence control of the government and theachievement of guarantees within the state became the immediategoal of the persons and parties that became known as liberal.Realization of their program of controlled governme nt andguaranteed individual liberties did not come on the Continentuntil the nineteenth century;indeed,the first half of thatera was marked by political struggles to achieve that end.Bythe middle of the nineteenth cen tury liberal ideas were suf-ficientlyimpressed upon European life to insure the charac-teristic form of constitutional-parliamentary politics amongthe western states.Constitutional liberalism put an end tothe power of the feudal aristocracies and absolute rulers. Apart from t

FAQs

What is the central importance of liberalism in the nineteenth century according to this section?

For the nineteenth century, liberalism is presented as the political doctrine with decisive importance, shaping the ideals of the age and helping displace surviving forms of absolutism.

How does the text distinguish liberalism from conservatism?

It states that liberalism, unlike conservatism, is unwilling to treat existing privileges as liberties and instead defends liberty through principles rather than preserving privileges.

Which influences and traditions are said to have nourished liberalism?

The section identifies Lockean and French rationalist definitions of liberty and British government practice, including the Bill of Rights of 1689, as major traditions supporting liberalism’s development.

Sep 28, 2026

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