Liberalism as both a political and economic ideology arose in the early 19th century. It is the idea that people should be able to do whatever it is that they want as long as it is not hurting anyone else. Namely, that trade should go on without tariffs, private property should not be reallocated by the government, and that the government in general should only exercise its power when protecting someone. Above is an engraving of John Stuart Mill (by Perine and Giles, no date), an English political philosopher from the 19th century. He stated that mankind should only interfere with the liberty of action of another when acting in self-defense. Its broad doctrine was adopted and specialized by many. To the industrious, it meant that their private property (factories) and what goes on in them should be no one’s business but their own, while to the poor, it meant that they had a chance at political equality.
World History: Empires and Revolutions, 1450-1850 