The Revolutionary Center

How True Liberalism Created (and Will Save) the Modern World

Adrian Wooldridge

An intellectual and cultural history of liberalism—one of the most widely used yet misunderstood terms today—that untangles vital misconceptions to reveal why the world urgently needs a more liberal mindset.

So-called liberalism has been twisted out of shape by both the left- and right-wing who incorrectly conceive of it in ideological terms, without understanding what a liberal philosophy really entails. In untangling these misconceptions, Wooldridge reveals why the world desperately needs to adopt a proper liberal mindset.

The cycles of history predict that without a return to liberalism, we face autocracy, fascism, and the societal stratification already visible in the world’s structures of opposition: populists versus elitists, the ultra-woke versus the steadfastly traditional, and capitalist-triumphalists against capitalist-catastrophists. A call to arms amidst American economic stagnation and the global censorship of information, Adrian’s new book guides us through liberalism’s intellectual, cultural, and political histories to remind us of the true liberal’s values: freedom through self-determinism, individual rights, healthy skepticism, thoughtful tolerance, and aversion to dogmatism.

Adrian diagnoses areas of necessary improvement for today’s passive liberals, who would do well to embody the flexible, moderate, and critical approaches of their Cold War predecessors. The West’s success against Communist totalitarianism came from recognizing the need for a strong military defense while using open communication to explain what the West was defending. This energy must be applied to our understanding of overseas regimes and of Western capitalism at home.

To avoid global catastrophe and uphold intellectual freedom and privacy, we must learn from the liberal past and look ahead, critiquing the structures we find ourselves in and those further afield

Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist at Bloomberg News. Previously, he was the Economist’s political editor, author of the Bagehot column, author of the Schumpeter column, Washington bureau chief, and author of the Lexington column. Adrian was educated at Balliol College and All Souls College, Oxford, where he earned a doctor of philosophy in history. He is the author of twelve previous books, most recently Capitalism in America (with Alan Greenspan) and The Aristocracy of Talent. Adrain lives in London.

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Endorsements & Reviews

Praise for Adrian Wooldridge’s Capitalism in America and The Aristocracy of Talent:

“This book snaps, crackles and pops. Three themes are highlighted—productivity as the measure of economic progress; the ‘Siamese twins of creation and destruction’ as the sources of productivity growth; and the political reaction to the consequences of creative destruction. Readers will emerge from this heady blend of economic, business, and political history with a sense of exhilaration that so much of the American experience could be described so vividly and insightfully.” Financial Times, one of the Best Books of the Year

“Capitalism in America makes a strong case, with some wonderful insights into business history. Innovation, spread to the masses, is indeed the engine of capitalist economies.” The Economist

“A masterful guide to capitalism American style. You don’t have to be an economics wonk to enjoy and learn from Capitalism in America.” The Washington Times

“Strongly recommended. This illuminating and in-depth history is a valuable contribution to U.S. business history because it explains financial events and the culture of innovation from macro­economic perspectives and offers remarkable insights into the current business climate.” Library Journal (starred review)

“A smart and engaging look at the workings of the economic machine under various regimes, isolationist and internationalist alike.” Kirkus Reviews

“A sweeping and brilliantly told narrative by two authors who have spent their careers thinking about the wellsprings of economic growth. Anchored by the combination of Alan Greenspan’s legendary skill with data and talent for analysis, and Adrian Wooldridge’s knowledge and perspective on business history, Capitalism in America is full of insights that will surprise you and change your perspective on many of the key episodes of U.S history.” Liaquat Ahamed, author of Lords of Finance, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

“A work of bold sweep and illuminating insight that tells nothing less than the story of American capitalism—both its extraordinary achievements and its darkest moments—from the earliest days in colonies ‘at the edge of the world,’ to the Internet revolution. Greenspan and Wooldridge combine penetrating analysis with striking portraits of the people who made it all happen, which, together, demonstrate their theme of the constant capacity for innovation and reinvention.” Daniel Yergin, author of The Prize and co-author of Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy

"Erudite, thoughtful and magnificently entertaining book.” - James Marriott, The Times (London)

"Unfailingly entertaining, effortlessly drawing on a wealth of anecdote and statistics.” The Times Literary Supplement

"This unique and fascinating history explains why the blame now being piled upon meritocracy is misplaced—and that assigning responsibilities to the people best able to discharge them really is better than the time-honored customs of corruption, patronage, nepotism, and hereditary castes. Wooldridge upends many common assumptions and provides an indispensable back story to this fraught and pressing issue.” Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University

“Wonderful. The Aristocracy of Talent provides an important and needed corrective to contemporary critiques of meritocracy. It puts meritocracy in an illuminating historical and cross-cultural perspective that shows how critical the judgment of people by their talents rather than their bloodlines or connections has been in creating the modern world. Highly recommended.” - Francis Fukuyama, senior fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

"This is an important, fascinating and superbly written book. The Aristocracy of Talent pulls the rug out from under the current assault on meritocracy. How quickly we forget that reformers struggled for centuries to displace the privilege of birth with merit-based judgments. Does the assault on core values leave you at a loss for words? Read this book.” Philip K. Howard, author of The Death of Common Sense