The Western Political Tradition Author: Frederick Watkins Publisher: Guangxi Normal University Press

Introduction
A work that condenses the essence of Western intellectual traditions. A simple diagram of the development of liberalism across two thousand years of history. With a clear structure and story-like narrative style, this is an excellent introduction to the history of political thought.

「Content Introduction」：
Although the past cannot absolutely determine the future, it can fairly define and limit the various possibilities of future actions. The modern dilemma facing liberalism inspires us to understand its source and flow.
In this book, Watkins sorted out the birth process of liberalism, extending the historical origins of liberalism from modern times to ancient times, and then comprehensively demonstrated the development process of this political tradition over the past two thousand years. This book was written during World War II, when the free society was facing a serious crisis. How to defend the liberal tradition became a matter of life and death. Through his research, Watkins finally concluded that liberalism grew out of the long-standing political thoughts and practices in the West. The Western political tradition has been deeply embedded in modern liberalism. If liberalism cannot survive, it is tantamount to saying that the Western political tradition has also come to an end.
Through this book, Watkins attempts to find the roots of liberalism and tell how liberalism has defeated its enemies and reversed disadvantages to achieve success time and time again in history.
「Celebrity Recommendation」:
In Professor Watkins's view, liberalism is not just a philosophy applied to economics, or a specific form of government, but "the modern incarnation of all representative Western political traditions." This book is worthy of praise for its success in illustrating the roots of political liberalism in the development of Western culture as a whole.
——George Holland Sabine, author of A History of Political Theory The core essence of liberalism lies in "freedom under the law", which is the basic viewpoint drawn by Watkins after summarizing the two thousand years of liberal political tradition. I think his summary is simple and clear, and it hits the nail on the head, revealing the essence of liberalism.
——Gao Quanxi (Chair Professor of KoGuan Law School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University)
Among the booklets on the review of Western political thought that I have read before, none of them has such a clear context as this one. For me, the value of this booklet also lies in the fact that it defines some concepts in clear words, objectively and calmly, without any pretense.
——Hao Jingfang (Hugo Award winner)