Amsterdam

Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto, Random House Trade Paperbacks; Illustrated Edition, 2013. 

Greco-Roman Culture

Amsterdam was the first European city since the Greco-Roman era to promote liberalism: religious tolerance, private ownership of land, and freedom of the press. This book describes the history of how this happened. 

Private Property

When Dutch farmers reclaimed land from the sea, it belonged to the farmers, not the feudal lords. Private property is a basic part of political liberty and capitalism. 

Commerce

So is trade. Amsterdam became wealthy by trading with Indonesia. They stole the Indonesian trade from the Portuguese. 

Religious Freedom

The development of religious freedom was also part of Amsterdam's history. Amsterdam fought to free itself from Spain and the Roman Catholic Church. Amsterdam became a haven for Jews, including the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. The Jewish philosopher Spinoza moved to Amsterdam from Spain. Not only was he not christian, he also rejected the established Jewish religious officials. The book also describes Rembrandt van Rijn. 

Exporting Liberalism to Britain

Britain learned liberalism from Holland and passed it on to her colobines. The cosmopolitan nature of New Work City started with the Dutch influence on its predecessor, New Amsterdam.