Freedom from fear : an incomplete history of liberalism / Alan S. Kahan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kahan, Alan S., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberalism--History.

Liberalism.

State, The.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

xi, 509 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Other Title:

Incomplete history of liberalism

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2023]

Summary:

"A provocative new history of liberalism that also provides a roadmap for today's liberalsFreedom from Fear offers a striking new account of the dominant political and social theory of our time: liberalism. In a pathbreaking reframing of the historical debate, Alan Kahan charts the development of Western liberalism from the late eighteenth century to the present. Examining key liberal thinkers and issues, Kahan shows how liberalism is both a response to fear and a source of hope: the search for a world in which no one need be afraid.Freedom from Fear reveals how liberal arguments typically rely on three pillars: freedom, markets, and morals. But when liberals ignore one or more of these pillars, their arguments generally fail to persuade. Extending from Adam Smith and Montesquieu to today's battles between liberals and populists, the book examines the twists and turns of the "incomplete" or unfinished liberal tradition while demonstrating its fundamental continuity. It combines fresh accounts of familiar figures such as Tocqueville and Rawls with discussions of less-famous but pivotal thinkers such as A. V. Dicey and Jane Addams, and explores how liberals have dealt with crucial issues, from debates over male and female suffrage to colonialism and liberal anti-Catholicism.By transforming our understanding of the history of liberal thought and practice, Freedom from Fear provides a new picture of the political creed today: the paths liberals need to follow, the questions they need to answer, and the dead ends they must avoid-if they are to win"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Prologue. Liberalism

Before the revolutions

The all-too-short nineteenth century. After the revolutions

Many-splendored liberalism

Liberalism on the front lines : freedom, nation, God

Liberalisms with something missing

New fears, new hopes : Modern liberalism versus classical liberalism

Liberalism's limits

A world in crisis and the crisis of liberalism, 1919-1945

Hollow victories, 1945-2000

Liberalism and populism : the search for a solution.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 453-476) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Kahan, Alan S. Freedom from fear : an incomplete history of liberalism.

ISBN:

9780691191287

069119128X

OCLC:

1355590331