The Ezra Klein Show

The Book That Changed How I Think About Liberalism

1165 snips
May 5, 2026
Guest
Helena Rosenblatt
Helena Rosenblatt, a CUNY historian and political theorist, revisits the lost history of liberalism. She explores liberality, civic education, toleration, and the tension between freedom and the common good. The conversation ranges from demagoguery and constitutional safeguards to slavery, social reform, and why liberalism came to mean opposite things in Europe and the U.S.
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INSIGHT

Liberalism Was Branded Selfish From The Start

  • Liberalism was attacked as selfish almost from birth; the word itself began as a term of abuse.
  • Catholic counterrevolutionaries cast liberals as anarchic, anti-family, and sexually deviant for dismantling old privileges.
INSIGHT

Toleration Was Meant To Turn Conflict Into Progress

  • Liberal toleration emerged not just as politeness but as a theory that open contest among beliefs could improve society.
  • Early Protestant liberals wanted religious competition to weaken dogma and purify religion toward ethical faith.
INSIGHT

The Paradox Of Tolerance Haunted Liberalism Early

  • Liberalism has never solved the paradox of tolerating movements that would destroy toleration once empowered.
  • Rosenblatt says early liberals faced the same dilemma over whether free presses should be allowed to attack constitutional government.
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