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Michael Freeden
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Liberalism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition

by Michael Freeden (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 145 ratings
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Liberalism is one of the most central and pervasive political theories and ideologies, yet it is subject to different interpretations as well as misappropriations. Its history carries a crucial heritage of civilized thinking, of political practice, and of philosophical-ethical creativity.

This Very Short Introduction unpacks the concept of liberalism and its various interpretations through three diverse approaches. Looking at its historical and theoretical development, analysing the liberal ideology, and understanding liberalism as a series of ethical and philosophical principles, this is a thorough exploration of the concept and practice of liberalism.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0199670437
  2. Edition
    Illustrated
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    OUP Oxford
  5. Publication date
    June 25, 2015
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    1548 KB
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Freeden is a Professor of Political Theory at the University of Nottingham and Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford. His books include The New Liberalism: An Ideology of Social Reform (Oxford, 1978); Liberalism Divided: A Study in British Political Thought 1914-1939 (Oxford, 1986); Ideologies and Political Theory: A Conceptual Approach (Oxford, 1996); Ideology: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2003); Liberal Languages: Ideological Imaginations and 20th Century Progressive Thought (Princeton, 2005); The Political Theory of Political Thinking (Oxford, 2013), and The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies (co-edited, Oxford, 2013). He is the founder-editor of the Journal of Political Ideologies. In 2012 he was awarded the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize for Lifetime Contribution to Political Studies by the UK Political Studies Association and the Medal for Science of the Institute of Advanced Studies, Bologna University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00VMB283S
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ OUP Oxford; Illustrated edition (June 25, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 25, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1548 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 145 ratings

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Michael Freeden

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
145 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

christopher green
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Gave me a different look into the ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017
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Great book! Gave me a different look into the realities of liberalism.
2 people found this helpful
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billwest
5.0 out of 5 stars This man knows the academic/intellectual side of liberalism.
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2015
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Very good, sometimes a downer and shocker.
One person found this helpful
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Spencer Paulson
3.0 out of 5 stars Solid Overview
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2023
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This book gives a solid overview of the history of Liberalism and the many ideological branches it contains. I get the impression the author wasn’t totally clear on the nature of Rawls’ project. If you want to learn about Rawls, read Rawls. But if you want a concise account of various currents in 19th century thought, this is pretty good.
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a reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Short and effective
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2019
This book sorted out the confusions I've had over the word "liberal" more than any other book I've read.
The metaphors of explanation work.
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Gato Rebelde
3.0 out of 5 stars Good description of liberal strands
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2020
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I did liked it, because it let me understand the different types of liberalism in existence, and those expressions that call themselves liberalism, but fall short of it. Though because it's a short book, I found it laking in depth about non-welfare state liberalisms.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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BigTent BookClub
5.0 out of 5 stars Slow, challenging intro that goes the extra mile
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
As the Very Short Intro series goes, I found Freeden went above and beyond. Not only is this an exceptionally clear and informative read, but the structure and metaphors used in the book were very useful in getting to grips with the ideology of liberalism as a whole and how it can be broken up and explained to a lay reader. For example, Freeden’s method of explaining liberalism in this book is to “offer a map on which to place, locate, and trace the features of different liberalisms, both shared and distinct.” (p.11) Later Freeden discusses the "Five Layers of Liberalism", and describes that they interact as 5 sheets of holey, and greasy, translucent paper from which earlier liberalisms can be read through others. (p.39) Freeden offers a brilliant and wide-ranging breakdown of the topic which, for the difficulty of the subject matter, is pulled off brilliantly in this introductory text.

You can get my full notes and chapter by chapter bullet-point breakdown by email bigtentbookclub@gmail.com.
Customer image
BigTent BookClub
5.0 out of 5 stars Slow, challenging intro that goes the extra mile
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2022
As the Very Short Intro series goes, I found Freeden went above and beyond. Not only is this an exceptionally clear and informative read, but the structure and metaphors used in the book were very useful in getting to grips with the ideology of liberalism as a whole and how it can be broken up and explained to a lay reader. For example, Freeden’s method of explaining liberalism in this book is to “offer a map on which to place, locate, and trace the features of different liberalisms, both shared and distinct.” (p.11) Later Freeden discusses the "Five Layers of Liberalism", and describes that they interact as 5 sheets of holey, and greasy, translucent paper from which earlier liberalisms can be read through others. (p.39) Freeden offers a brilliant and wide-ranging breakdown of the topic which, for the difficulty of the subject matter, is pulled off brilliantly in this introductory text.

You can get my full notes and chapter by chapter bullet-point breakdown by email bigtentbookclub@gmail.com.
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michjo
5.0 out of 5 stars Liberalism is the way to move forward
Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2020
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The book was very explicit. It dealt with every facet that Liberalism entails. The main theme throughout was that the liberal approach always aimed at making life better, easier and more livable for the average family. For those individuals who hold Conservative views, allocating funds to move society forward amounts to wasting precious hard-earned dollars. As society gets more and more sophisticated, regularly looking for what is on the other side of the mountain is the way to go. Time does not stand still for anyone. Great book! Only wish I could remember more of it.
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnífico
Reviewed in Spain on January 24, 2018
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Un grandísimo libro que tenía muchas ganas de leer. En perfecto estado y con un envío puntual, como siempre. Estoy encantado.
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Omar
1.0 out of 5 stars 0/10
Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2021
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super dry book
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
A brilliant introduction to the dominant yet misunderstood ideology of the developed world.
One person found this helpful
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