LIBERALISM

INTRODUCTION
Liberalism is one of the great political traditions of the western world. The term ‘liberal’ has

been in use since the fourteenth century. Western political system have also been shaped by

liberal ideas and values, so much so that they are commonly classified as liberal democracies.

Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty and equality. It is the idea that

one group should not prevail on another, but all should have equal freedom and opportunity to

pursue as they see fit. It holds that all individual should have equal treatment before the law

regardless of social status, race or sex. Liberalism also holds a commitment to the rule of law,

which is essential for a democratic and limited government. The rule of law is a preposition that

law should not be arbitrary and must be applied fairly to all. There should be minimum

restriction or no restriction. Liberalism can be traced back to 17th century.

Benjamin Constant, a forerunner of liberalism, held that liberty for the ancients ‘consisted in an

active and constant participation in collective power’, whereas for the moderns it consisted in

‘peaceful enjoyment and private independence’. Whereas the ancients drew their happiness from

an active engagement in collective life within the political community for which they were

prepared to make sacrifice, individuals in modern world are ‘lost in multitude’ and unsure of

their influence in collective decision making. The happiness of the modern individual derives

more from the comforts gained through civilization progress, commerce and communication than

finding fulfillment in collective projects1.1

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1.Rajiv Bhargava and Ashok Acharya(eds.),Political theory: An introduction 237(Pearson, Delhi,2017 )
Liberal advocated an industrialized and market economic order free from government

interference. Liberalism usually divided into two phases: the classical liberalism and the modern

liberalism. Nineteenth century was in many ways the liberal century. As industrialization spread

throughout western countries, liberal ideas triumphed. Western political system have also been

shaped by liberal ideas and values, so much so that they are commonly classified as liberal

democracies.

CLASSICAL LIBERALISM

Classical liberalism was the earliest liberal tradition. Classical liberalism is usually associated

with the work of John Locke besides Adam Smith and other thinkers. Classical liberalism is a

political philosophy and ideology belonging to liberalism in which primary emphasis is placed

on securing the freedom of the individual by limiting the power of the government. It drew on a

psychological understanding of individual liberty, the contradictory theories of natural law and

utilitarianism, and a belief in progress. It emerged as a response to the industrial revolution and

urbanization in the 19th century in Europe and United States. The theoretical demonstration of

the consequences of the protective tariff is the keystone of classical economics. One example of

classic liberalism’s beliefs regarding the role of government is found in Thomas Hobbes’s theory

that government was created by individuals to protect themselves from one another. Classical

liberals believe that wealth is not created by governments, but by the mutual cooperation of

individuals in the spontaneous order of the market place. The idea of free trade is advocated in

classical liberalism. Classical liberals believe that minimum interference of the government,

which would merely act as a ‘night watchmen’.

well justify censorship. He also advocated various duties on individuals in order to help others-

such as testifying in court, and ensuring that your children are properly schooled. He saw a role

for government in the regulation of trade, working hours, wages and workplaces benefits. He

advocated social welfare laws to provide work for able-bodied people and provide minimum

living standards for others. He thought that government shouls create infrastructure such as roads

and sanitation. And he called for public subsidy of scientific research and the arts. Even small

public benefits, he thought, would justify such interventions. Many classical liberals would

disagree with all of this.2

Classical liberals are democrats, but skeptical democrats. They believe that general public, not

some powerful elite, should make the broad decisions on what those functions are and how to

achieve them.

MODERN LIBERALISM

Modern liberalism emerged as a reaction against free-market capitalism, believing this had led to

many individuals not being free. Modern liberalism is also known as positive liberalism. T. H.

Green believed that the unrestrained pursuit of profit, advocated by classical by classical

liberalism, had given rise to new forms of poverty and injustice. Modern liberalism has drawn

closer to socialism, but it has not placed society before the individual. The twentieth century has

witnessed a growth in state intervention in most Western countries and also in some developing

ones. Much of this intervention has taken form of social welfare, attempts by government to

provide welfare support for its citizens by overcoming poverty, disease and ignorance.

2
Eamonn Butler, Classical Liberalism53(The Institute of Economic Affairs, London,2015)
Modern liberals defend welfarism on the basis of equality of opportunity. If particular

individuals or groups are disadvantaged by their social circumstances, then the state possesses a

social responsibility to reduce or remove these disadvantages. However, modern liberals believe

that such an expansion of the responsibilities of government has not diminished individual rights,

but rather broadened them. Citizens have acquired a range of welfare or social rights, such as the

right to work, the right to education and the right to decent housing. Classical liberals, in

contrast, believe that the only rights to which the citizen is entitled are negative rights, those that

depend upon the restraint of government power. This applies to most of the traditional civil

liberties respected by liberals, such as freedom of speech, religious worship and assembly. These

rights constitute a ‘private sphere’, which should be untouched by government. Welfare rights,

on the other hand, are positive rights because they can only be satisfied by the positive actions of

government, through the provision of state pensions, benefits and, perhaps, publicly funded

health and education services3.

Modern liberalism is not completely collectivist; nor is it completely individualistic. It has

characteristics of both doctrines. Modern liberal have also not rejected negative freedom entirely.

The aim of modern liberal is to enable people to help themselves, thus the aim of both classical

and modern liberals is to promote individual autonomy, or negative freedom. All the views on

equality stem from belief in individualism. This is true for modern liberals, who believe in a

relative form of social equality that is still grounded in individualism where equality of

opportunity and positive freedom allow individuals to choose to succeed.

CONCLUSION

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Andrew Heywood, Political ideology: An introduction(Palgrave Macmillan, New York,2003)
Concept of liberalism for society changes from time to time. In ancient times, the meaning of

liberty for society is different from modern society. Liberal society is an open society where

freedom for individuals and groups alike allows each opportunity to flourish without fear. It is

difficult proclaim the imminent worldwide triumph of liberalism when the inheritance offers the

world is unclear, if not contradictory. However, as Alan Ryan notes, the way in which liberalism

institutionalizes self-criticism [will] itself be a guarantee of its progress.