... can be traced back 300 years, though it grew to prominence during the middle of the nineteenth century in central Europe, a time where the Aristocracy was the ruling class, and the working class were suppressed into giving a share of their earnings made from the land to the nobility. Essentially Liberals believed in freedom and individualism, the "supreme importance being that of the individual as opposed to any social group or collective body" (Andrew Heywood, 2002, pp43-44). Slowly countries began to implement these ideas, though few would be as radical to apply all the measures of the liberal thinkers, parliaments were set up and the majority of the people were able to vote in a secret ballot. (Though this did not include women in many countries until the 20th century) As I have mentioned one of the most central issues arising from democracy is that of government by the ...

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