Enlightenment and The Industrial Revolution, an intimate relationship:

Enligthenment thinkers did not agree on much, e.g, whether the franchise ['voting'] should be open to all or only to a limited group [el.coll; us sen; 3/5s Comp], but did did agree on the idea that Liberty was not possible without the guarantee of property [life, liberty property]. To the intellectuals of the Enligthenment and beyond, these two notions were bound together. John Locke argues:

• all mankind...being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, liberty or property
• the reason why men enter into society is the preservation of property
• Government has no other end than the preservation of liberty and property.

And reviewing the historical context one can understand why. Given that property in the Old Order was in the hands of 'princes and potentates' and of the 'established church', liberty without property was perceived to be an oxymoron [logically impossible; without property one could not act politically]. It should not surprise then that property was considered a requirement for exercising the franchise / voting. Only those with property could be counted on to defend the state.

Many economists today perceive that:personal freedom, prosperity and private property are closely linked. They observe that:

• Those states where private property has been largely suspended, are also those states in which there is little personal freedom and little prosperity. Cases come to mind...Consider China
• Those states that adopted Enlightenment values were manfestly more successful in acquiring and developing the resources needed to enhance the material basis of human life. The standard of living improved dramatically throughout the Atlantic world.

But all is not so simple: ideals and reality are often in conflict.

• So too with the Enlightenment. Jefferson could write his immortal words, and yet own slaves; so too the infamous 3/5s compromise.
• Party bureaucrats in the Soviet Union no doubt believed that by confiscating private property they could rationally allocate work and resources. And in creating the New Soviet Man, it did not matter that 'a few eggs were broken'.

The great dilemma of the Enlightenment, and one that we share today may not be the values and aspirations themselves, but understanding what we actually do in their name.