Liberalism was a wager of titanic proportions, a wager that ancient norms of behavior could be abolished in the name of a new form of liberation and that the conquest of nature would supply the fuel that would permit near - infinite choices. (firstthings.com)
With the advance of capitalism, then, the nation moved from the idea of local norms of behavior, created and nurtured by the community (often the religious community), to the idea of citywide or even national norms. (religion-online.org)
Prior to the development of the great cities, most people lived in the same community their entire lives, surrounded by an extended family (perhaps a large one) and a thick network of other relationships that helped to nurture and enforce norms of behavior. (religion-online.org)