Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World

by Daniel Hannan

Overview

British politician Daniel Hannan's Inventing Freedom is an ambitious account of the historical origin and spread of the principles that have made America great, and their role in creating a sphere of economic and political liberty that is as crucial as it is imperiled.

According to Hannan, the ideas and institutions we consider essential to maintaining and preserving our freedoms—individual rights, private property, the rule of law, and the institutions of representative government—are the legacy of a very specific tradition that was born in England and that we Americans, along with other former British colonies, inherited.

By the tenth century, England was a nation-state whose people were already starting to define themselves with reference to inherited common-law rights. The story of liberty is the story of how that model triumphed. How it was enshrined in a series of landmark victories—the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, the U.S. Constitution—and how it came to defeat every international rival.

Today we see those ideas abandoned and scorned in the places where they once went unchallenged. Inventing Freedom is a chronicle of the success of Anglosphere exceptionalism. And it is offered at a time that may turn out to be the end of the age of political freedom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062231741
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/02/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	384,061
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Daniel Hannan is a writer and politician. He contributes to several newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal and the London Daily Telegraph. A former president of the Oxford University Conservative Association, he was elected to the European Parliament in 1999, at the age of 27, and has been twice reelected.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction: The Anglosphere Miracle 1

1 The Same Language, the Same Hymns, the Same Ideals 19

2 Anglo-Saxon Liberties 55

3 Rediscovering England 91

4 Liberty and Property 127

5 The First Anglosphere Civil War 147

6 The Second Anglosphere Civil War 209

7 Anglobalization 243

8 From Empire to Anglosphere 311

9 Consider What Nation It Is Whereof Ye Are 343

Conclusion: Anglosphere Twilight? 369

Index 379

Editorial Reviews

With the eloquence of Macaulay or Trevelyan—both of whom are liberally quoted here—Hannan sweeps us through English history to show the triumph of law-based liberty and “that total understanding which can only exist between people speaking the same tongue.” — The Telegraph (UK)

“Hannan’s well-written book is an excellent politically incorrect history of England.” — Washington Free Beacon

“Equal parts history and political theory, Inventing Freedom is a thought-provoking and stirring read for the holidays.” — The Blaze

From the Publisher

Equal parts history and political theory, Inventing Freedom is a thought-provoking and stirring read for the holidays.

The Blaze

Hannan’s well-written book is an excellent politically incorrect history of England.

Washington Free Beacon

With the eloquence of Macaulay or Trevelyan—both of whom are liberally quoted here—Hannan sweeps us through English history to show the triumph of law-based liberty and “that total understanding which can only exist between people speaking the same tongue.

The Telegraph (UK)

11/11/2013
Hannan, a well-known conservative writer and politician in Great Britain, tells the story of English contributions to the modern world and the rise of what he calls the "Anglosphere." He determines the English-speaking world to have an exceptional "conception of liberty" that he surveys throughout the book. In clear and informed language Hannan revisits the special contributions of Protestant faith and parliamentary machinery, defending the ownership of property against Marxist arguments. He explains with verve the constitutional "defense against arbitrary government" beginning with the Magna Carta and other legal protections that citizens in Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia today take for granted. He highlights the community advantages of religious tradition and Episcopalian latitude. Along the way we learn about some unusual things, including the failed 1698 effort of Scotland to establish its own colonial empire. Hannan's book adds up to an entertaining, readable narrative of English triumphs in law, religion, and freedom and celebrates the Anglosphere's "sublime tradition." At the finish, he encourages his readers to act as stewards of their rich legacy. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Cleverly written, witty, and worldly...a must read for anyone in the Tea Party movement or with an interest in American politics.

BlogCritics Books

Conservatives, libertarians, independents, progressives and just about anyone can find something to like in The New Road to Serfdom.

Huntington News

Praise for The New Road to Serfdom:
“Daniel Hannan...spells out the dangers, brilliantly summarizes the state of play, and shows exactly why the American Constitution both deserves and needs protection from the new ruling class.

American Spectator