“Lord Acton” by Gertrude Himmelfarb

Himmelfarb stated that her goal was to write an intellectual biography. This was a difficult task for Acton, whose most notable claim to history is perhaps the greatest book never written, his “History of Liberty.” Nonetheless, Himmelfarb has combed through his extensive notes, lectures, periodical pieces, and letters to sketch a rough outline of the evolution of Acton’s thoughts. He was a voracious reader in four modern languages, as well as Latin and Greek, who moved in the most exalted circles both in England and on the Continent, yet he was not admitted to Cambridge because of his Catholicism. Ironically, he would end his days as a Professor of History there. Instead, Acton studied in Munich with their austere theologians, who would have a lasting impact on his life. He was a layman, who was admitted to the Vatican Council where he fought a rearguard battle to defeat the Papal claim of infallibility. To him, the Inquisition and the St. Bartholomew Massacre were atrocities and everlasting stains on the Catholic Church. Those who tried to sanctify infallibility were apologetics, as guilty as the original perpetrators of these crimes. Despite much acrimony, Acton escaped being excommunicated. This was no idle speculation in a period where many of his countrymen were struggling everyday with their own faith, some leaving the Church of England for deism or atheism and others “going over to Rome.” Both could be traumatic experiences, severing lifelong ties with family and friends, ending marriages, and cutting off inheritances. Throughout Acton's life, he tried to reconcile his faith with his belief in liberty, both political and religious tolerance, as well as with modern science, philosophy, and logic. He strode the balance, as a man of religion and a man of reason. Acton was a lifelong member of the Liberal Party, though he feared the mob and democratic tendencies. He favored organic institutions, the balancing of interests, and worried that the masses would express the will of the majority at the expense of minorities. Still, he supported the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884 to enlarge the franchise. “It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people fit to govern others.”