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Introduction<\/a> | Works in the Collection<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the late 18th and early 19th centuries classical liberals became self-conscious that they were advocating an entire worldview (Weltanschauung) of political, economic, and social relationships in general which was <\/p>\n\n With the exception of Wilhelm von Humboldt\u2019s The Limits of State Action<\/em> which was written in 1792 but was not published in full until 1854, it seems that it was not until the mid-19th century before people began thinking of classical liberalism as a coherent body of thought which could be encapsulated in a one volume treatment. I include in this early group Gustave de Molinari, Herbert Spencer, and John Stuart Mill who published their books between 1849 and 1859. Molinari\u2019s Evenings on Saint Lazarus Street<\/em> (1849) is perhaps the first one volume, comprehensive statement of the classical liberal political and economic worldview designed to appeal to an educated reader rather than a specialist, ever written. This was followed very soon after by Herbert Spencer’s Social Statics<\/em> in 1851.<\/p>\n\n I call this the “first wave” which was part of the emergence of \u201cclassical liberalism\u201d per se, which saw the dramatic liberal reforms of the Victorian period, such as the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 which ushered in the period of free trade which lasted up until the First World War.<\/p>\n\n This was followed by a “second wave” which emerged in the 1970s when the modern libertarian movement appeared in the United States and included works by John Hospers, David Friedman, and Murray Rothbard. Several of these were designed to be political \u201cmanifestos\u201d for groups like the Libertarian Party (founded 1971).<\/p>\n\n One might also pinpoint the period of the last 10 years as the latest burst of activity, a “third wave” if you will, with works by Eric Mack, Richard Ebeling, Deidre McCloskey, and perhaps George Will.<\/p>\n\n For a fuller discussion of this, see my blog post on “One Volume Surveys of Classical Liberal Thought<\/a>” RLP<\/em> (Jan. 11, 2021).<\/p>\n\nIntroduction<\/h2>\n\n
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Works in the Collection<\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n