The Lost History of Liberalism challenges our most basic assumptions about a political creed
that has become a rallying cry--and a term of derision--in today's increasingly divided public
square. Taking readers from ancient Rome to today Helena Rosenblatt traces the evolution of
the words liberal and liberalism revealing the heated debates that have taken place over their
meaning. She debunks the popular myth of liberalism as a uniquely Anglo-American tradition and
shows how it was only during the Cold War that it was refashioned into an American ideology
focused on individual freedoms. This timely and provocative book sets the record straight on a
core tenet of today's political conversation laying the foundations for a more constructive
discussion about the future of liberal democracy.
