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The history of French liberalism has typically been presented as the emergence and development of abstract concepts. This engaging study takes a different approach, foregrounding the political thought of Benjamin Constant and Germaine de Stael, the first figures in France to call their thought 'liberal.' Author K. Steven Vincent argues that Constant's distinctive liberal political stance emerged during the Directory and Consulate, earlier than other scholars have claimed. He also demonstrates that Constant's thought was deeply influenced by traditions of sensibilite and pluralism. This book advances a new interpretation of the timing and character of French - and more broadly European - liberalism and contributes to the ongoing debate concerning the place of morality, sociability, and conceptions of the 'self' in modern liberal thought.