Liberals, Liberales and The Liberal: a reassessment

The Liberal has long been read in terms of its premature failure. This article proposes a reassessment of the journal and argues, through an examination of its contents and its contexts, that it presents a surprisingly coherent political philosophy. An investigation of the debates embedded in its title, of its support for the various Mediterranean national-independence movements springing up in the 1810s and 1820s, and its advocacy of a mode of associative creative behavior reveals that its intellectual and political significance is wider than accounts of its failure have previously suggested. In addition, such an investigation reveals that this significance extends beyond national boundaries to contribute to a larger debate about the nature and implications of European liberalism.