Like Jane Austen’s works, Conrad’s novels demonstrate that classical liberal arrangements and sensibilities allowed English society to flourish. Although he certainly does not see the England of his time as Utopia, Conrad clearly viewed it as a force for good in a globalizing world and a model to be emulated elsewhere, although he carefully demonstrated why it could often be difficult for other societies to adapt English arrangements.

Robert M. Whaples is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Co-Editor of The Independent Review.
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