How to Be a Liberal

’Urgent and engaging’ - Nick Cohen, Observer’A phenomenal history from a truly big mind’ - David Schneider, writer’Required reading for anyone interested in politics and philosophy.’ - Prospect magazineIn a soaring narrative that stretches from the battlefields of the English Civil War to the 2008 Wall Street crash and Brexit, Ian Dunt tells the story of liberalism from its birth in the fight against absolute monarchy to the modern-day struggle against dog-whistle nationalism.Narrated by the author, this vivid, epic book explains the political ideas which underpin the modern world.Written by a co-presenter of the Origin Story podcast, it is a call to action for those who believe in freedom and reason, and a clear-throated explanation of why those values matter to us all, in our everyday lives.Mostly, though, it is political history and philosophy as it should be written (and read): taut, thought-provoking and bursting with ideas.The book deals with:The birth of liberalism with Rene DescartesRadical ideas in the English Civil WarMob rule during the French RevolutionLiberal values in the American War of IndependenceJohn Stuart Mill and liberalism’s great love affairThe Nazi and Soviet crushing of individual libertyThe rise of identity politics and groupthinkSocial media and misinformationDonald Trump and the rise of nationalismWhy we fight for our valuesHailed as ’courageous’ by LBC’s James O’Brien and as a ’tour de force’ by the Secret Barrister, How to be a Liberal is both a history of the growth of individual liberty and a rallying cry to turn back the new populism threatening democratic values and personal freedoms.It is the book you need to navigate our times.Buy the book and start reading!