Difference between revisions of "Gladstone"
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The one person that might be tagged as the creator of the Western Liberal tradition is William Gladstone. | The one person that might be tagged as the creator of the Western Liberal tradition is William Gladstone. | ||
==Context== | ==Context== | ||
| + | Liberalism has a pretty rocky start as the old monarchies of Europe decayed in the years from the Beheading of Charles I in 1649 to the start of the first world war. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
Revision as of 21:31, 20 March 2025
Contents
Full Title
The one person that might be tagged as the creator of the Western Liberal tradition is William Gladstone.
Context
Liberalism has a pretty rocky start as the old monarchies of Europe decayed in the years from the Beheading of Charles I in 1649 to the start of the first world war.
History
CAESARISM AND LIBERAL DEMOCRACY [1791
that he promoted, but more to do with his character and personality: The great pioneer of sociology and German liberal Max Weber noted that Gladstone had great personal charisma. He appealed to the British population's high moral principles, and they in turn trusted the ethical substance of his policy: What brought Gladstone to power and kept him there was "the firm belief of the masses in the moral rightness of his policy and especially in the man's own moral qualities, "34
Gladstone's reputation owes much to what was seen as his commitment to educating and uplifting Britain's citizenry, both intellectually and morally. He was regarded as a principled leader fighting for the whole community and not beholden to any selfish interest. This was particularly important at a time when there remained deep worries about democracy and its tendency to devolve into despotism or socialism. Between 1886 and 1914, Germany, France, and Italy saw the rise of socialist and workers' parties; by contrast, in Britain the Liberals remained the only mass party on the left. Many attributed this fact to the leadership of Gladstone. Like Lincoln, he was perceived as guiding, educating, and moralizing democracy. A person of high moral principle, Gladstone brought workers into the Liberal Party and could make democracy safe.
Like Lincoln, Gladstone was admired for the way he addressed and inspired the masses. In countless soaring and sermon-like speeches, he appealed to their moral sense, reason, and intelligence. Always, he exhorted them to selflessness, patriotism, and devotion to the common good. Workers came in droves and listened for hours. He seemed to hear them, to know and respect them—and they responded with trust and admiration. From the very beginning of his leadership of the Liberal Party, workers supported the liberals at the polls.
The Liberal Party program, Gladstone often said, was aimed at "the general benefit of the whole mass of the people."
