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Dec 24, 1100
Ancient Greek Democracy
---- Actually at 507 BC ----
This was introduced by ancient Greek leader Cleisthenes who called it Demokratia. The system was the first of it's time and truly revolutionary for that era. It was based around equality, which is one of the most important features of how we define classical liberalism today -
Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was an ancient charter of liberties signed by King John in 1215 who was facing a possible rebellion. Although this document was not completely successful, it gave more freedom from oppression to Englishmen and it was the first document of its time to suggest individualistic rights that we see in classical liberalism. -
Period: Dec 24, 1300 to Dec 25, 1500
Renaissance
The Renaissance or "rebirth" (1300-1500) represented a period in history where many new inventions and creations were produced. This included the invention of the telescope, the clock, the printing press and many others. The Renaissance was very important to the development of the idea of classical liberalism because this was the first time people had started to question the rights of the church to dictate country affairs. This meant power was starting to be distributed differently. -
Period: Dec 24, 1400 to
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
Haudenosaunee Confederacy (1400-1776) was the verbal constitution instituted by the members of the Six Nations in North America. This ensured equal rights to all people in the various first nations' groups. Along with developing the idea of individual rights in classical liberalism, this also inspired famous leaders in the US in creating the Constitution of the United States of America. -
Period: Dec 24, 1517 to
Reformation
Reformation (1517-1648) was the intense religious, political, intellectual and cultural change that reformed the beliefs in Europe for the time. This was when the church of England questioned the authority of the pope. This sparked a change in beliefs because as people were questioning the church, the class system was questioned, resulting in individual freedoms being suggested. -
Period: to
Enlightenment
A period in Europe in the 18th century where people started to view individualism as more important than tradition. This relates quite well to classical liberalism because citizens started to look to their individual rights and freedoms and their right to pick who should be leading them, instead of letting the high class noblemen make the decisions for them. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution was a very important period in history where many changes were made including the development of machinery so that less workers were required to do basic jobs. This was a very monumental moment for classical liberalism because this helped to develop a market economy monitored less from the government. -
American Revolution
The American Revolution was where citizens of the British colonies in North America rebelled against British because of the highly taxed items being shipped in (notably the price of tea). This had a large impact in he creation of the idea of classical liberalism because people created their own individual rights and freedoms and stopped the large taxes from imported goods to produce a more free trade market (classical liberalism) -
French Revolution
The French Revolution, partially inspired by the American Revolution, was a long, nationalistic civil war between the people and the King and Queen of France in power at the time. This war resulted in the deaths of almost 750 000 people but also the formation of a democracy in France. This helps to demonstrate the creation of classical liberalism. The war caused many people to die but in the process, the class system was abolished and the citizens obtained guaranteed rights and freedoms. -
Period: to
Changes to the Class System
Changes to the class system happened during the 19th century and this marked the serious development of individual rights. The classes separated citizens at birth, making them unable to improve their quality of life even with a strong work ethic. When the changes to the class system were made, it made it possible for anyone to be successful, guaranteeing equality for all citizens (except of course at this time women who didn't yet have the same rights as men)