Liberalism and Empire in the work of W.E.H. Lecky

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W.E.H. Lecky (1838-1903) was the most significant Irish historian of the nineteenth century, whose influence as anintellectual in Britain and Ireland was considerable. He is, however, a neglected figure in the intellectual history ofEurope. It is the contention of this study that the wealth and relevance of Lecky's oeuvre may be evinced through areading of his work in which two overarching themes are prioritised: liberalism and empire. Following the model ofanalysis prescribed by the 'Cambridge School' of intellectual history, this study will endeavour to illustrate thesignificance of Lecky's contribution to several debates integral to nineteenth-century liberalism by foregrounding histhought in its original intellectual context and measuring his arguments against those advanced by his contemporaries inBritain, Ireland and Europe. This will reveal Lecky as an original thinker, one steeped in the European enlightenmenttradition that was his inheritance, and a figure that ought to feature prominently in the canons of liberalism,historiography, and Irish thought. Moreover, taking inspiration from recent scholarship that has emphasised the linkbetween nineteenth-century liberalism and imperialism, this study will also seek to demonstrate Lecky's participation indiscourses of empire. This will contribute to a bourgeoning discourse on the role played by intellectuals in disseminatingand justifying empire, and highlight the role of Irish intellectuals in this discourse.