Question

Explain the idea of Liberalism that spread in 18th century Europe.

Answer 1

Explanation:
This answer for this question can be broken down into two parts.

1. First, talk about what is Liberalism.
2. Ideas of liberalism

Answer:
The term ‘liberalism’ derives from the Latin root liber, meaning free. Ideas of national unity in early-nineteenth-century Europe spread through the ideology of liberalism. It stood for freedom for the individual and equality of all before the law. Politically, it emphasised the concept of government by consent. Regardless, equality before the law did not initially stand for every citizen’s right to vote. In French liberal democracy, the right to vote and to get elected was granted exclusively to property-owning men. Men without property and all women were excluded from political rights. Apart from this, liberalism stood for the freedom of markets and the abolition of state-imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital.