2.2.5 Impacts on 19th Century Society

As the ideas of classical liberalism took hold, society began to change. In the past, people were born into a particular social class and remained in it their whole lives. Classical liberalism valued the individual as unique and encouraged more economic opportunities.

Thanks to the promotion of classical liberal principles, the idea of rigid class system began to die away, and a social structure based on wealth began to emerge. Due to the pursuit of self-interest, private property and economic competition, people could improve their social and economic status. Hard work and self-reliance were encouraged as keys to economic success.

While greater political equality was encouraged, in many countries, this expansion of suffrage or voting rights included only men who owned property. In fact, the expansion of suffrage for men alone took several decades in Britain, Canada and the United States. For example, the U.S. and France, two nations founded on the idea of "equality", did not grant all women the right to vote until 1920 and 1945 respectively.

As a result, classical liberal societies promoted individual rights, but their practice of granting these rights to everyone was relatively slow. As a result, classical liberal societies were freer than their predecessors, but remained elitist in terms of true equality. This is why classical liberalism remains on the right side of the political spectrum, because some forms of inequality were still accepted in society.