British Liberalism and the Legacy of Saint-Simon: the Case of Richard Cobden

Anthony Howe ()
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Anthony Howe: University of East Anglia - School of History

History of Economic Ideas, 2009, vol. 17, issue 2, 107-119

Abstract: This article examines the important engagement of the British liberal Richard Cobden (1804-1865) with the ‘practical socialism’ of Saint-Simonism. Cobden established close personal ties with leading Saint-Simonians, but what particularly drew them together was a common vision of free trade, peace, and global economic progress. This ideological affinity led to close practical cooperation in schemes such as the Anglo- French commercial Treaty of 1860 but they remained fundamentally divided on the value of colonies. Here Cobden’s liberal belief in the self-organisation of society through individual freedom clashed with the Saint-Simonian readiness to promote the civilizational benefits of colonial domination.

Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hid:journl:v:17:y:2009:2:6:p:107-119

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