Liberal bibliography - Definition and Overview

This Liberal bibliography lists literature on liberalism as well as the liberal classics. However, it is by no means a complete list. Also, it doesn't include literature on liberalism or liberal parties in specific countries.

Liberal classics

The authors are listed more or less chronological

• Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch 1466-1536) Humanism, scholarship in original languages
  • De pueris instituend, published 1529

• Niccolo Machiavelli (Italy, 1469-1527), Political Theory and History
  • The Prince
  • Discourses on Livy
  • History of Florence
  • The Art of War

• Baruch Spinoza (Netherlands, 1632-1677) Ethics, systematic philosophy
  • Theologico-Political Treatise, 1670 [1] (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/989)

• John Locke (England, 1632-1704), Inherent rights, state under law
  • A Letter Concerning Toleration, 1689 [2] (http://www.constitution.org/jl/tolerati.htm)
  • The Second Treatise of Civil Government, 1689 [3] (http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/7370)

• Voltaire (France 1694-1778) History as Progress, rational government
  • Philosophical Dictionary

• David Hume (United Kingdom, 1711-1776), Rational inquiry into society and econonomy
  • An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 1751

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (France, 1712-1778) Social Contract, national self-determination, education
  • Du Contrat Social, 1762 (The Social Contract [4] (http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon.htm))

• Denis Diderot (France, 1713-1784) and many others
  • Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, 1751-1772 {Encyclopaedia, or Reasoned Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Trades [5] (http://www.hti.umich.edu/d/did/))

• Adam Smith (United Kingdom, 1723-1790) Systematic political economy, captialism, technology as wealth
  • An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, 1776 [6] (http://www.mondopolitico.com/library/wealthofnations/toc.htm)
  • The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1759

• Charles de Montesquieu (France, 1689-1755) Philosophy of Law
  • De l'esprit des lois,1748 (The Spirit of the Laws) [7] (http://www.constitution.org/cm/sol.htm))

• Sir William Blackstone (England 1723-1780) Natural rights as basis for systematic treatment of the law
  • Commentaries on the Laws of England

• Immanuel Kant (Germany, 1724-1804)
  • Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten, 1785 (Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals[8] (http://eserver.org/philosophy/kant/metaphys-of-morals.txt))
  • Kritik der praktischen Vernunft, 1788 (Critique of Practical Reason [9] (http://eserver.org/philosophy/kant/critique-of-practical-reaso.txt))
  • Zum ewigen Frieden, 1795 [10] (http://www.sgipt.org/politpsy/vorbild/kant_zef.htm)
  • Metaphysik der Sitten, 1797 (Metaphysics of Morals [11] (http://eserver.org/philosophy/kant/intro-to-metaphys-of-morals.txt))

• Anders Chydenius (Finland, 1729-1803)
  • Den Nationnale Winsten, 1765 (The National Gain [12] (http://www.chydenius.net/historia/teokset/e_kansallinen_johdanto.asp))

• Thomas Paine (United Kingdom/United States, 1737-1809)
  • Rights of Man, 1791 [13] (http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=3742)

• The Federalists*
  • Federalist Papers / Alexander Hamilton, John Jay & James Madison, 1787 [14] (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed.htm)

• Marquis de Condorcet (France, 1743-1794)
  • Esquisse d'un tableau historique des progrés de l'esprit humain, 1795 (Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind)

• Jeremy Bentham (United Kingdom, 1748-1832)
• Benjamin Constant (France, 1767-1830)
  • De l'esprit de conquête et l'usurpation (On the spirit of conquest and on usurpation), 1814

• Wilhelm von Humboldt (Germany, 1767-1835)
  • Ideen zu einem Versuch, die Grenzen der Wirksamkeit des Staats zu bestimmen, 1792 (On the Limits of State Action)

• James Mill (United Kingdom, 1773-1836)
  • Elements of Political Economy, 1821

• Ralph Waldo Emerson (American 1803-1882) Democratic philosophy
  • Self-Reliance
  • Circles
  • Politics
  • The Nominalist and the Realist

• Alexis de Tocqueville (France, 1805-1859)
  • De La Démocratie en Amérique, 1831-1840 (Democracy in America, [15] (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/home.html))
  • L'Ancien Régime et la Révolution, 1856

• John Stuart Mill (United Kingdom, 1806-1873)
  • On Representative Government, 1862
  • On Liberty, 1868 [16] (http://www.bartleby.com/130/)

• Jakob Burkhardt (Swiss, 1818-1897) State as derived from cultural and economic life
  • The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy

• Herbert Spencer (United Kingdom, 1820-1903)
  • The Man versus the State, 1884

• John Dewey (United States, 1859-1952)
  • Liberalism and Social Action, 1935
  • Democracy and Education [17] (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext97/dmedu10.txt)

• Max Weber (Germany, 1864-1920)
  • Die protestantische Ethik und der 'Geist' des Kapitalismus,1904 (The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism [18] (http://www.ne.jp/asahi/moriyuki/abukuma/weber/world/ethic/pro_eth_frame.html))

• Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse (United Kingdom, 1864-1929)
  • Liberalism, 1911 [19] (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1911hobhouse.html)

• Benedetto Croce (Italy, 1866-1952)
  • Che cos è il liberalismo, 1943

• William Beveridge (United Kingdom, 1879-1973)
  • Full Employment in a Free Society, 1944
  • Why I am a liberal, 1945

• Ludwig von Mises (Austria, 1881-1973)

• John Maynard Keynes (United Kingdom, 1883-1946)
  • The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, 1936 [20] (http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/keynes/general-theory/)
  • The Economic Consequences of the Peace

• Will Durant 18815-1981 with Ariel Durant 1898-1981
  • The Story of Civiliazation

• José Ortega y Gasset (Spain, 1883-1955)
  • La rebelión de las masas, 1930 (The Rebellion of the Masses)

• Friedrich Hayek (Austria, 1899-1992)
  • The Road to Serfdom, 1944 [21] (http://www.mises.org/TRTS.htm)
  • The Constitution of Liberty, 1960

• Karl Raimund Popper (Austria/United Kingdom, 1902-1994)
  • The Open Society and Its Enemies, 1946

• Adolf Berle and Gardiner Means
  • The Modern Corporation and Private Property

• Alan Paton (South Africa, 1903-1988)
  • Cry, The Beloved Country, 1948

• Raymond Aron (France, 1905-1983)
  • Essais sur les libertés, 1965
  • Démocratie et totalitarisme, 1965

• John Kenneth Galbraith (United States, 1908- )
  • The Affluent Society, 1958
  • The Liberal Hour, 1960

• Isaiah Berlin (Latvia/United Kingdom, 1909-1997)
  • Two Concepts of Liberty, 1958
  • Four Essays on Liberty, 1966

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • Inaugural Addresses

• Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
  • The Age of Roosevelt
  • The Cycles in American History

• Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
  • The Flies

• Simone de Beauvoir (France)
  • The Second Sex

• Bruce Ackerman
  • We, The People

• George McGovern
  • The Essential America

• John Rawls (United States, 1921-2002)
  • A Theory of Justice, 1972
  • Political Liberalism, 1996
  • The Law of Nations

• Ralf Dahrendorf (Germany/United Kingdom, 1929- )
  • Die Chancen der Krise: über die Zukunft des Liberalismus, 1983
  • Fragmente eines neuen Liberalismus, 1987

• Joseph Raz (United Kingdom)
  • The Morality of Freedom

• Amartya Sen (India, United States, United Kingdom]]
• Development as Freedom

Literature on liberalism

in English

• The future of liberal revolution / Bruce Ackerman - New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992
• Liberalism and Democracy / Norberto Bobbio - London: Verso, 1990 (Liberalismo e democrazia, 1988)
• Liberalism / John A. Hall - London: Paladin, 1988
• The Decline of Liberalism as an Ideology / John H. Hallowell - London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1946

in Dutch

• Beleid voor een vrije samenleving / J.W. de Beus en Percy B. Lehning (red.) - Meppel: Boom, 1990
• Afscheid van de Verlichting: Liberalen in verwarring over eigen gedachtengoed / Hans Charmant en Percy Lehning - Amsterdam: Donner, 1989
• Liberalisme, een speurtocht naar de filosofische grondslagen / A.A.M. Kinneging e.a. - Den Haag: Teldersstichting, 1988
• De liberale speurtocht voortgezet / K. Groenveld, H.J. Lutke Schipholt & J.H.C. van Zanen - Den Haag: Teldersstichting, 1989
• Het menselijk liberalisme / Dirk Verhofstadt - Antwerpen: Houtekiet, 2002

in French

• Le libéralisme / Georges Burdeu - Paris: Seuil, 1979

in German

• Die Freiheit die wir meinen / Werner Becker - München: Piper, 1982
• Noch eine chance für die Liberalen / Karl-Hermann Flach - Frankfurt: Fischer, 1971
• Liberalismus / Lothar Gall - Königstein: Athenäum, 1985