British Classical Liberalism: Ideological Background Of British Gradual Democratization

British classical liberalism has a distinctive character. It bears a relation to British gradual democratization in history. The democratization of Britain is achieved through three parliamentary reforms in the 19^th century. In the about fifty years, the number of voters gradually increased and the qualification reduced steadily, while the democratization in America and France is attained through radical revolution. The democratic process of Britain is "gradual" and slow.Why Britain adopted a way of gradual democratization? The answer to this question is related to the character of British classical liberalism, which is the mainstream political thought then, and which constituted the intellectual background of political reform.This essay analyses the four aspects of British classical liberalism. It argues that these characters account for the gradual democratization of Britain. Firstly, British classical liberalism upheld the idea of the passive liberty instead of the positive liberty. Positive liberty encourages man to aspire for civil rights, which propels the outbreak of American Revolution and French Revolution. Passive liberty focuses on the delineation of boundary between the individual and society.Secondly, Unitarianism is the guiding thought of British classical liberalism, while full political right is the good of radical liberalism .For the British Unitarians,...