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A Timeline of Modern European Liberalism
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The Peace of Munster
The Peace of Munster was the first of 3 treatises that comprised the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War. The signing of this document, later complemented by the Treaty of Munster and the Treaty of Osnabrück, marks one of the most important events in the history of modern European liberalism due to the content of the treaty, most importantly the (moderate) freedom of religion that it granted.
N.B. The image is a painting depicting the signing of the treatises. -
Two Treatises on Government
In one of John Locke's most seminal works, the author refutes the legitimacy of divine right kings, and defines all men as being equal in a state of nature, in addition to propounding many other liberalistic ideas. Building on the demands of the Peace of Munster (and all the treatises comprising the Peace of Westphalia), Locke's text defines liberalism more specifically than it was previously, and publication of these treatises marks one of the most essential liberalist events ever. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
Continuing on the precedents set by the Peace of Munster and John Locke's Treatises, this declaration is a fundamental document in the history of the French Revolution, of liberalism, and of human rights itself. Its recognition of the rights of men, equality of men before the law, and many other basic rights and freedoms makes its creation one of the most important events in liberalism's history, and indeed the history of mankind itself. -
Napoleonic (Civil) Code
Napoleon is one of history's most controversial conquerors and emperors. Nonetheless, his Civil Code is largely liberalistic by nature, containing laws ensuring freedom of religion, sacrosanctity of property, and general equality of all men before the law. Its content, and the sheer number of states' law codes that it eventually influenced, makes its entering of the force in 1804 one of the most important events in the history of France, Europe, and liberalism itself. -
The 12 Points of the 1848 Hungarian Revolutionaries
The Hungarian Revolution embodied many of the same ideals as the other 1848 revolutions, which all were rooted in liberalism. On March 15, 1848, Hungarian revolutionaries forced the representatives of Emperor Ferdinand to agree to their 12 Points, which featured demands for freedom of press, equality before the law, and many more liberalistic ideals. Though the revolution failed, the 12 Points' signing marks one of liberalism's most important events and represents 1848 Europe's demands. -
Mein Kampf
Publication of Hitler's autobiographical manifesto marks one of the most crucial dates in the history of liberalism for all the wrong reasons. The text is opposes freedom of religion, freedom of political beliefs, and it even placed the rights of citizens as secondary to the nation's demands and the leader's desires. Hitler's eventual slaughter of millions of Jews, Communists, homosexuals, and others, was a direct extension of his ramblings in this quintessentially anti-liberalistic manifesto.
