Radical Liberalism and Nationalism in Mid-Victorian Scotland

On first sight, the relationship between nineteenth-century liberalism and nationalism seems a contradiction. The former stressed universal values, such as meritocracy and good citizenship, within an ideology of economic laissez-faire, which did not recognize national boundaries. Furthermore, the promoters of European liberalism often had in their sights the relics of the Ancien Regime which were characterized as despotic, corrupt and a barrier to progress. Yet, more often than not, the opponents of liberalism were embedded in national institutions, such as the military, the church, the royal court and government service, all of which claimed the mantle of representing national identity