Libertarianism in England

Last updated

Libertarianism in England is a political philosophy promoting individual liberty.

History

Anglo Saxons

Anglo-Saxon England is cited by anarcho-capitalists as an example of a prototype anarcho-capitalist society. [1]

17th century

English Civil War and Levellers

Roderick T. Long writes that libertarians "claim the seventeenth century English Levellers and the eighteenth century French Encyclopedists among their ideological forebears" [2] [3] [4] The Levellers are cited as an early libertarian movement, advocating for common law, legal equality, and government’s necessity to have the consent of the governed. [5] Carl Watner writes "John Lilburne was their popularly recognized leader, but it is in the works of his associate, Richard Overton, that we find the most consistent expression of their incipient libertarianism". [6]

The Levellers inspired both libertarians and socialists, [7] with left-libertarians also being inspired by the Diggers [8] and right-libertarians inspired by the Leveller's belief in the natural right to private property. Mid-17th century England was a time in which discussion surrounding property rights first materialized and was first explored, at a time when lingering feudal property relations clashed with the beginnings of capitalist property relations. [9]

John Locke, whose natural rights philosophy influenced libertarian thought. Godfrey Kneller - Portrait of John Locke (Hermitage).jpg
John Locke, whose natural rights philosophy influenced libertarian thought.

The works of philosopher John Locke are considered founding documents for natural rights-based libertarianism. [10] [11]

19th century

Auberon Herbert advocated a voluntary-funded government, coining the phrase voluntaryism . [12] Hans-Hermann Hoppe, believes that Herbert "develops the Spencerian idea of equal freedom to its logically consistent anarcho-capitalist end". [13]

Murray Rothbard wrote "The tradition of voluntarism was at its strongest in England. So strong was it that, not only was there no compulsory education in England until the late nineteenth century, but there was not even a public school system. Before the 1830s, the State did not interfere in education at all." [14] [ undue weight? – discuss ]

The English Catholic historian and Liberal Party statesman Lord Acton was described by Murray Rothbard as "the great Catholic libertarian historian". [15] [ undue weight? – discuss ]

Organisations

See also

References

  1. ↑ Morriss, Andrew P. "Anarcho-Capitalism" Libertarianism.org
  2. ↑ Rocker, Rudolf (1949). Pioneers of American Freedom: Origin of Liberal and Radical Thought in America. New York: J.J. Little & Ives Co., p. 13. "It was the great service of liberal thinkers like Jefferson and Paine that they recognized the natural limitations of every form of government. That is why they did not want to see the state become a terrestrial Providence which in its infallibility would make on its own every decision, thereby not only blocking the road to higher forms of social development, but also crippling the natural sense of responsibility of the people which is the essential condition for every prosperous society".
  3. ↑ Tucker, Benjamin (1926) [1976]. Individual Liberty. New York: Vanguard Press. p. 13. "The Anarchists are simply unterrified Jeffersonian Democrats. They believe that 'the best government is that which governs least,' and that that which governs least is no government at all".
  4. ↑ Scott, James C. (2012). Two Cheers for Anarchism: Six Easy Pieces on Autonomy, Dignity, and Meaningful Work and Play . Princeton University Press. pp. 79–80. "At one end of an institutional continuum one can place the total institutions that routinely destroy the autonomy and initiative of their subjects. At the other end of this continuum lies, perhaps, some ideal version of Jeffersonian democracy composed of independent, self-reliant, self-respecting, landowning farmers, managers of their own small enterprises, answerable to themselves, free of debt, and more generally with no institutional reason for servility or deference. Such free-standing farmers, Jefferson thought, were the basis of a vigorous and independent public sphere where citizens could speak their mind without fear or favor. Somewhere in between these two poles lies the contemporary situation of most citizens of Western democracies: a relatively open public sphere but a quotidian institutional experience that is largely at cross purposes with the implicit assumptions behind this public sphere and encouraging and often rewarding caution, deference, servility, and conformity".
  5. ↑ Elliott, Nicholas "The Levellers: Libertarian Revolutionaries"
  6. ↑ Watner, Carl (Fall 1980). ""Come What, Come Will!" Richard Overton, Libertarian Leveller" (PDF). The Journal of Libertarian Studies. IV (4). Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  7. ↑ Foxley, Rachel (November 4, 2019). "Resilient Radicalism: The Levellers and Popular Sovereignty". Liberty Fund . Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Daniel. "Winstanley's Ecology: The English Diggers Today". Monthly Review. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  9. ↑ Rodman, Julio (October 2, 2013). "The Levellers as Left Libertarians". Center for a Stateless Society. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  10. ↑ Meany, Paul "An Introduction to Locke’s Two Treatises" Libertarianism.org
  11. ↑ Boaz, David "Key Concepts of Libertarianism" Cato.org
  12. ↑ Perry, Sarah (2020-02-03). "What is Voluntaryism?". Voluntaryism in Action.
  13. ↑ Anarcho-Capitalism: An Annotated Bibliography, 2002. Retrieved from LewRockwell.com
  14. ↑ Rothbard, Murray "Education: Free and Compulsory" Mises.org
  15. ↑ Flood, Anthony "Lord Acton: Libertarian Hero" Mises.org
  16. ↑ "About". Libertarian Party UK.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.