Picture living in a country where rights rule society. Where the public has a market system in which the prices for goods and services are set freely by consent between sellers and consumers and where property is "an inviolable and sacred right." This idea is known as liberalism. Throughout the nineteenth century Industrial Revolution liberalism was emerging rapidly. Supporters of liberalism believed in the people’s rights and particularly their property rights. Liberalism caused problems between the bourgeoisie (middle class) and the proletariat (working class) during its growth. These problems created an opposition to the liberal movement known as communism.

Numerous philosophers pressed for liberalism’s growth, but the most influential ones were David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, and Adam Smith. Smith was thought to be the founder of liberalism and "looked forward to a new world, which would escape the sophistry and meanness of medieval Christian thought, but would recourse to...authoritarian political oppression." Smith believed in gaining income while taking as little risk as possible. He thought to avoid government interference with free markets there would have to be a constitutional government. He also thought states should be held accountable for "stipends of the priests." Due to Smith’s views of religion, he became rather unpopular with liberals in the nineteenth century. They decided to not view Smith as founder of liberalism and instead looked at David Ricardo