Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

This is not a simple contradiction, but it reveals that liberals defined political rights narrowly.

Nineteenth-century liberals believed in equality before the law — meaning no one was above the law — but they linked political rights (voting) to property ownership. In revolutionary France, only property-owning men could vote; men without property and all women were excluded. Even the Napoleonic Code reduced women to minors. Liberals argued that only those with a stake in property had the judgment to participate in governance. Thus, equality before the law and universal suffrage were treated as separate principles.

Source: Chapter 1 — "What did Liberal Nationalism Stand for?"

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• Examiners want you to directly address the contradiction, then resolve it using the text.
• Key distinction: legal equality (same laws apply to all) ≠ political equality (everyone votes). Liberals accepted the first but rejected the second.
• Always cite the France/Napoleonic Code example — it's the textbook's own evidence.
• Avoid padding; 3 marks = one clear argument with one or two supporting facts.