French Liberalism from Montesquieu to the Present Day

This collection of essays explores an unjustly neglected tradition that is now experiencing a remarkable renaissance: French political liberalism.

Raf Geenens (Edited by), Helena Rosenblatt (Edited by)

9781107017436, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 January 2012

332 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.61 kg

'The excellent job done by the collection's translator, Michael Breslin, should also be applauded.' European Review of History

There is an enduring assumption that the French have never been and will never be liberal. As with all clichés, this contains a grain of truth, but it also overlooks an important school of thought that has been a constant presence in French intellectual and political culture for nearly three centuries: French political liberalism. In this collaborative volume, a distinguished group of philosophers, political theorists and intellectual historians uncover this unjustly neglected tradition. The chapters examine the nature and distinctiveness of French liberalism, providing a comprehensive treatment of major themes including French liberalism's relationship with republicanism, Protestantism, utilitarianism and the human rights tradition. Individual chapters are devoted to Montesquieu, Tocqueville, Aron, Lefort and Gauchet, as well as to some lesser known, yet important thinkers, including several political economists and French-style 'neoliberals'. French Liberalism from Montesquieu to the Present Day is essential reading for all those interested in the history of political thought.

1. French liberalism, an overlooked tradition? Raf Geenens and Helena Rosenblatt
Part I. In Search of a Lost Liberalism: 2. Two liberal traditions Larry Siedentop
3. The unity, diversity and paradoxes of French liberalism Lucien Jaume
Part II. The French-Liberal Conception of Liberty: Loyal to its Republican Roots: 4. Was Montesquieu liberal? The spirit of the laws in the history of liberalism Céline Spector
5. The importance of Republican liberty in French liberalism Andrew Jainchill
6. Rethinking liberalism and terror Stephen Holmes
Part III. The Formative Era: Liberal Dealings with Key Issues in Nineteenth-Century France: 7. On the need for a Protestant reformation: Constant, Sismondi, Guizot and Laboulaye Helena Rosenblatt
8. 'Anti-Benthamism': utilitarianism and the French liberal tradition Cheryl Welch
9. Tocqueville: liberalism and imperialism Alan Kahan
Part IV. Economic Liberalism a la française: 10. War, trade and empire: the dilemmas of French liberal political economy, 1780–1816 Richard Whatmore
11. Competition and knowledge: French political economy as a science of government Philippe Steiner
12. Is there a French neoliberalism? Serge Audier
Part V. At the Dawn of Mass Democracy: Reassessing the Role of Collective Institutions: 13. The 'sociological turn' in French liberal thought William Logue
14. The 'illiberalism' of French liberalism: the individual and the state in the thought of Blanc, Dupont White and Durkheim Jean-Fabien Spitz
Part VI. The Twentieth Century and Beyond: 15. Raymond Aron and the tradition of political moderation in France Aurelian Craiutu
16. The politics of individual rights: Marcel Gauchet and Claude Lefort Samuel Moyn.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], History of ideas [JFCX], European history [HBJD]