This book provides a new reading of one of the most significant chapters in the history of social and political thought – the transition from the late Enlightenment to early liberalism. In contrast with prevailing interpretations of the emergence of liberalism, which emphasize the conservative liberal reaction of the nineteenth century, it presents a more optimistic depiction of how formerly radical principles of the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by the mainstream of moderate early liberalism. To substantiate this innovative interpretation the book provides a detailed history of late Enlightenment and early liberal social and political thought on both sides of the Atlantic.

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