Classical liberalism developed in the 19th century in
Europe and the
United States. Although classical liberalism built on ideas that had already developed by the end of the 18th century, it advocated a specific kind of society, government and public policy as a response to the
Industrial Revolution and urbanization.[SUP]
[3][/SUP] Notable individuals whose ideas have contributed to classical liberalism include
John Locke[SUP]
[4][/SUP],
Jean-Baptiste Say,
Thomas Malthus and
David Ricardo. It drew on the economics of
Adam Smith and on a belief in
natural law[SUP]
[5][/SUP],
utilitarianism[SUP]
[6][/SUP], and progress.[SUP]
[7][/SUP]
There was a revival of interest in classical liberalism in the 20th century led by
Ludwig von Mises,
Friedrich Hayek and
Milton Friedman.[SUP]
[8][/SUP]
Some call the late 19th century development of classical liberalism "
neo-classical liberalism," which argued for government to be as small as possible in order to allow the exercise of individual freedom, while some refer to all liberalism before the 20th century as classical liberalism.[SUP]
[9][/SUP]
The term
classical liberalism was applied in retrospect to distinguish earlier 19th-century liberalism from the newer
social liberalism.[SUP]
[10][/SUP]
Libertarianism has been used in modern times as a substitute for the phrase "neo-classical liberalism", leading to some confusion. The identification of libertarianism with neo-classical liberalism primarily occurs in the United States,[SUP]
[11][/SUP] where some
conservatives and
right-libertarians use the term classical liberalism to describe their belief in the primacy of economic freedom and minimal government.[SUP]
[12][/SUP][SUP]
[13][/SUP][SUP]
[14]
