Later liberalism (c1800-1850)

Question 1

FIRST

Answer 1

The Industrial Revolution changed the environment and challenged early classical liberalism
with increasing class consciousness.
 Jeremy Bentham suggested the state would need to be more proactive to ensure the ‘greatest
happiness to the greatest number’ which would inform legislation and government policy.
Government to be elected by and accountable to the ‘greatest number of voters’.
 Samuel Smiles feared individualism was threatened by socialism. Acknowledged that
industrialised societies made it harder for individuals to be self-reliant however argued that in
seeking to overcome obstacles, individuals would be more fully developed.
 Herbert Spencer reinforced Smiles and took it further – natural selection, social Darwinism and
survival of the fittest.

Question 2

Later

Answer 2

 However, John Stuart Mills eclipsed Smiles and Spencer updating Locke’s case for representative government into a case for representative democracy which would seek to aggregate the various opinions within society and produce a broad consent of all.
 But, Mill was concerned that most voters were ill-equipped to choose ‘intelligent’ representatives and so argued that universal suffrage must be preceded by universal education, hoping this would developmental individualism.
 Developmental individualism: advancement of individual potential – focused on what individuals could become rather than what they had become.
 Once widespread education had been secured, Mill argued democracy could further liberal values.