Editing Liberal Party (UK) (section)

=== Origins ===
{{Main|Whigs (British political party)}}{{See also|First Palmerston ministry|Liberal government, 1859–1866}}[[File:palmerston.jpg|thumb|left|[[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Viscount Palmerston]]]]
The Liberal Party grew out of the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]], who had their origins in an [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocratic]] faction in the reign of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] and the early 19th century [[Radicals (UK)|Radicals]]. The Whigs were in favour of reducing the power of the Crown and increasing the power of [[Parliament of England|Parliament]]. Although their motives in this were originally to gain more power for themselves, the more idealistic Whigs gradually came to support an expansion of [[democracy]] for its own sake. The great figures of reformist [[Whiggism|Whiggery]] were [[Charles James Fox]] (died 1806) and his disciple and successor [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Earl Grey]]. After decades in opposition, the Whigs returned to power under Grey in 1830 and carried the [[First Reform Act]] in 1832.

The Reform Act was the climax of Whiggism, but it also brought about the Whigs' demise. The admission of the [[middle class]]es to the franchise and to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] led eventually to the development of a systematic middle-class liberalism and the end of Whiggery, although for many years reforming aristocrats held senior positions in the party. In the years after Grey's retirement, the party was led first by [[Lord Melbourne]], a fairly traditional Whig, and then by [[Lord John Russell]], the son of a Duke but a crusading radical, and by [[Lord Palmerston]], a renegade Irish [[Tóraidhe|Tory]] and essentially a [[conservative]], although capable of radical gestures.

As early as 1839, Russell had adopted the name of "Liberals", but in reality, his party was a loose coalition of Whigs in the [[House of Lords]] and Radicals in the Commons. The leading Radicals were [[John Bright]] and [[Richard Cobden]], who represented the manufacturing towns which had gained representation under the Reform Act. They favoured social reform, personal liberty, reducing the powers of the Crown and the [[Church of England]] (many Liberals were [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformists]]), avoidance of war and foreign alliances (which were bad for business) and above all [[free trade]]. For a century, free trade remained the one cause which could unite all Liberals.

In 1841, the Liberals lost office to the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] under [[Sir Robert Peel]], but their period in [[Official Opposition (United Kingdom)|opposition]] was short because the Conservatives split over the repeal of the [[Corn Laws]], a free trade issue; and a faction known as the [[Peelite]]s (but not Peel himself, who died soon after) aligned to the Liberal side on the issue of free trade. This allowed ministries led by Russell, Palmerston and the Peelite [[Lord Aberdeen]] to hold office for most of the 1850s and 1860s. A leading Peelite was William Gladstone, who was a reforming [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] in most of these governments. The formal foundation of the Liberal Party is traditionally traced to 1859 when the remaining Peelites, Radicals and Whigs agreed to vote down the incumbent Conservative government. This meeting was held at the Willis' rooms in London on 6 June 1859. This led to Palmerston's second government.

However, the Whig-Radical amalgam could not become a true modern political party while it was dominated by aristocrats and it was not until the departure of the "Two Terrible Old Men", Russell and Palmerston, that Gladstone could become the first leader of the modern Liberal Party. This was brought about by Palmerston's death in 1865 and Russell's retirement in 1868. After a brief Conservative government (during which the [[Second Reform Act]] was passed by agreement between the parties), Gladstone won a huge victory at the 1868 election and formed the first Liberal government. The establishment of the party as a national membership organisation came with the foundation of the [[National Liberal Federation]] in 1877. The philosopher [[John Stuart Mill]] was also a Liberal MP from 1865 to 1868.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/mill_john_stuart.shtml|title=John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)|publisher=BBC|access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref>