Ideologies Are Developed Through The Evolution Of Liberalism

Liberalism started with the ideas of the Enlightenment. Two of these ideas were freedom of speech and freedom of the individual, and kept growing from there. Liberalism is the belief in a small central government and no monarchy. The liberalists defended the ideas of the definitive rights of an individual’s liberty, equality and property. The liberalists wanted their government to be established on written laws and a constitution based on equality.

“The path to economic growth is not engineered by the government; rather, the path to economic prosperity is built by the people.” This quote relates to classical liberalism because it displays a ring wing perspective, which indicates devalued government authority in relation to aspects of individualism. Overall demonstrating the economic perspective that favours the absence of government involvement. It brings into question what the most efficient way to run an economy is, and what is the best way to manage an economy to maintain stability. Some believe that government intervention in an economy is dangerous because it adds to the nation’s overall inflation rate and national debt. Friedrich Hayek is an economic theorist supporting little

more growth and flourishing in a free market system. As mentioned in the article Conservative Vs Liberals, “In their view, the free market system produces more economic growth, greater welfare and higher standards of living”( Squadrin 6). This quote shows that it is for the people to decide what to produce rather

People that fall into the liberal category believe that the government should have the goal of equality providing opportunity for its entire people and that a strong central government is needed to keep order because people

Classical liberalism allow an individual to use primary social value of liberty in the political culture that extent until liberties of the others disturbed. Classical liberal ideas often form the basis for opposition to the use of government to attain social and personal objectives. They stress reliance on private the free market to determine the best outcomes rather than the private initiatives [1].

Though the Great Depression had a devastating effect for the nation, Cass Sunstein believes that the depression revealed a great truth to the American public: laissez-faire is a myth. This understanding surpassed the “liberty from government” and “liberty through government” argument that the left and right quarrell over when laissez-faire is mentioned. In his book, The Second Bill of Rights: FDR’s unfinished Revolution--and Why We Need it More Than Ever, Cass Sunstein attack the idea of laissez-faire economics by several claims: 1) government is not opposed to government, 2) there is no natural property rights and 3) conditions that created unemployment, poverty and starvation are not god-made but man-made.

During the 2015 Canadian federal election campaign, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party took policy positions that were furthest to the political left compared to the other two main parties, the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP). In an effort to appeal to traditional liberal supporters as well as voters who traditionally identify with the NDP, the Liberal Party adopted a reform liberal economic agenda and social democratic policies. Conversely, Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the NDP, embraced a campaign platform to the right of the Liberals. In particular, the NDP’s agenda blended neo-liberal economic policies with moderate conservative social policies. Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party adopted policies that were similar to the ideologies of the New Right, which embodies neo-liberal economic policies and conservative social policies. This essay will argue that the ideological similarities between the Conservatives and the NDP changed the political landscape in the recent election as voters were left with only two distinct political ideologies to choose from instead of the traditional three. In supporting this position, this essay will first examine the economic ideologies of these three

The Liberal Party has traditionally been known for its success in appealing to a range of different regional, social and ethnic groups. Since the establishment of the party, it has lacked a clear core principle and structure because the party was made up of diverse groups of interests. The party could sometime be seen as more supportive of social welfare spending than their Conservatives counterpart. However, it could also commonly be understood as a tactic to counteract the threat posed by the New Democratic Party.

While we have been busy feuding between the two parties we have not even noticed the transition our country has taken. Today we are so far from the Constitution and we are now skirting the edge of tyranny. Throughout the years, political scientist and philosophers have expanded on a wide array ideologies, or types of governments that can be organized. These types of government are for the most part, equally limited. Therefore, a state being governed under the principles of liberalism does not usually practice socialism. These political ideologies have played an essential role in

Moreover, one way in which modern liberalism has departed from the ideas of classical liberalism is the extent to which the state should involve itself in the lives of the individual. Classical liberals, in particular John Stuart Mill, emphasised a minimal state and believed that an interfering state would impede upon the private lives of individuals. Yet modern liberals fully supported an enabling state; Beveridge believed that citizens should be protected by the state s from ‘the cradle to the grave.’ This implies that, unlike classical liberals, modern liberals supported a government which is fully involved in the lives of individuals and would therefore support policies such as benefits and the national health service. However, classical liberals, notably Samuel Smiles, thought that people should take responsibility for their own welfare because the individual is the guardian of their own prosperity and therefore state intervention is dangerous. This contradicts the belief of modern liberals, who believed that a state should be established in order to help people to help themselves.

In the first source, a classical liberalist approach is taken when looking at the efficiency of welfare programs, and to what extent the government should use citizen’s tax dollars to pay for it. The political cartoon displays how inefficient and bureaucratic government involved programs are, opposing the idea that a government should interfere with the economy in such a way. The first source would support a laissez-faire economy and see truth in the trickle down theory. However, the second source is in direct opposition of the opinion of the first source. The author of the second source heavily critiques laissez-faire economics and the trickle down theory. By taking a modern liberalist stance, the second source endorses government intervention within the economy and the use of tax dollars to help those who need economic support. The second source believes that leaving people to fend for themselves is a direct root to a halt in economic growth, whereas the first source supports self-reliance and independence from government safety

“We all want…the same things in life. We want freedom; we want the chance for prosperity; we want to be the best we can be; we want as few people suffering as possible economically; we want healthy children; we want to have crime-free streets; all these things, they’re pretty common…The argument is how to achieve them” (Limbaugh, 2004). A major topic being discussed amongst politics right now is the ideologies of America. Which side holds the better policies for America: conservatives or liberals? Both conservatives and liberals have different beliefs on how the government should partake in interacting with the people, which also involves different viewpoints on certain ideologies. Basically, liberals believe in government having full control,

Liberal politician, Sir William Harcourt 1872 sums up the liberals perspective on government involvement. He states ‘that a Government which is not free interferes with everything it can, and a free Government interferes with nothing except what it must. A despotic Government tries to make everybody do what it wishes; a Liberal Government tries, as far as the safety of society will permit, to allow everybody to do as he wishes.’ This statement conveys the strong liberal belief of minimal government interference in the economy. Liberal’s perceive the welfare state as a negative approach to help the economy.

Neo-liberalism is a political ideology that suggests that ‘human well-being can be advanced by the maximisation of entrepreneurial freedom, characterised by private property rights, individual liberty, free markets and free trade’ (Geografiskar, A 2006). In today’s modern society neo-liberalism is widespread around the globe with various stakeholders offering conflicting views. Some advocates, namely the capitalistic portion of society argue that a liberal market is

The fact that free markets are based on a contractual agreement between the buyer and seller with very little government control makes it feasible to consider it to be compatible with individual freedom. (Free Market: 2014) Classical liberals may agree with the objectives of free markets, as they emphasise the importance of individual freedom with limited control of the state. (Hagopian)The counter argument is that when the free market economy is fuelled by profit motives, it sacrifices some ethical and economic issues which can cause severe consequences. (Gerald Hanks: 2014) Modern Liberals argue that although individual freedom is important, coercion can be used as a positive outlook of bettering individuals to the best of their ability.