What Extent Do Liberals Support Democracy

Liberalism is a major ideology in the world. Liberalism is changing at a constant rate as it is adapting to new views as the world is changing. Furthermore, the goal of the Liberalism is to ensure that “Liberal ideology is a commitment to the individual and the desire to construct a society… [Where] people can satisfy their interest and achieve fulfilment… Liberals [also] believe that human beings are, first and foremost, individuals” (Heywood 24). Liberals want to create a society in which people can achieve their goals, and where there are free to do what they please. That all individuals have the right to shape their future, and that each individual should have equal rights in both legal and political matters. There are two major types of

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.

Liberals were business owners, bankers, lawyers, news writers/editors, and politicians. They spoke mostly for the bourgeoisie and wanted governments to be based on written constitutions and separation of powers. Liberals spoke out against divine-right monarchy and old aristocracy. The liberals of the early 1800s defended natural rights and supported the laissez-faire economics of Adam Smith. Liberals eventually supported the principle of universal manhood suffrage, which gave all men the right to vote (Doc. 1). In France, many liberals sought to replace the July Monarchy with a democratic republic. However, most of the revolts resulted in a widespread disillusionment among the

Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, and is one with representative institutions and a rule of law.

In the United States, we have a liberal democracy meaning our rights and liberties are protected. The US also has a multiparty electoral system with free and fair participation and a checks and balances system that prevents a single party from taking sovereign control. Liberal democracy is a political system that is supported by free and fair elections, but also a separation of powers between branches and the protection of its citizens basic liberties such as, freedom of speech, assembly, property, and religion (Zakaria 22). Constituitonal liberalism is mostly based on limiting power in government, while democracies tend to be more about its accumulation and use (Zakaria 30).

Democracy is the idea government of present day. Many nations are converting to a democratic image to improve and better their society and make the people have a “fair” government. Today, it may seem easy to do things such as voting and our own freedom, but the expansion of democracy back then was a struggle. During 1776- 1920, many attempts were made to expand/ create democracy to increase citizen participation in the government. Acts for rights for suffrage, equal rights for the “lower class”, women, and African Americans, and balanced government where no one directly controls the government like the monopolists did, helped form the way democratic governments are run today. Events such as the Civil War, protests that created amendments and

However, a major aspect of democracy is majority rule. This majority vote can be influenced by predominate structures that only provide one forced option. Additionally, majority rule can prevent the deliberation with the minority group. As Crick defines politics, there must be deliberation and compromise with all parties (21). The minority in result of democracy can lose its voice. Crick states, “The late Ernest Bevin once told a Trade Union Conference that it was not democratic for a minority to continue to question the decisions of a majority- and he received equally sincere and astonishing reply that democracy meant that he could say what he liked, when he liked, how he liked” (57). Therefore, majority rule in democracy eliminates the process of compromise with both the majority and minority. A process that is needed in

Australia is one of the best examples of a liberal democracy. The government is representative and responsible of accountable to the citizens and their needs. Ultimately the power rests with the people. A liberal democracy means political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom for the individual. Within a liberal democracy, free and fair elections are required to be regular. A fair election involves a democratic choice, the ability to vote without pressure and no manipulation (Willmott 2015, p.257). Each one vote has a singular value, and every person has only one vote. When the voting process is over and the votes are counted, the candidate with majority votes is elected. A more recently accepted feature of fair elections is the secret ballot.

Liberals theory of justice is based on a belief in equality. Individualism, which is the central value for all liberals, implied a commitment to Foundation Equality. This is where

What is a liberal democracy? Liberal democracy, otherwise known as a ‘Representative democracy’, is a political ideology and form of government; most commonly found in western countries. The ideal outcome of a liberal democracy is seen as a completely democratic and equal society. A liberal democracy is characterized by some key features that attempt to ensure a free and fair country for all those who reside there, said characteristics include; separation of powers, free, fair and competitive elections, checks & balances, protection of human rights, civil rights, etc. and a rule of law.

Therefore, there are limitations to the majority but, it is hard to overcome them as the majority is most powerful. He then describes the omnipotence of the majority and their power within the law. Ultimately, the majority has the power to decide what is just and therefore, limit the rights of others (Tocqueville, 410). He states, "to preserve liberty, several principles can be mixed together in the same government…when a society truth comes to have a

Liberalism is an ideology that invoked upon the ideals and fundamentals of the enlightenment period as well as the French Revolution. Liberals opposed conservatism which boasted heeding to “the dominance of politics and society by monarchs, aristocrats, and clergy and the government's’ arbitrary interference with individual liberty. [Therefore], to the extent that these elements of the traditional order remained in place, liberals demanded reform and fought resisting conservatives” (582). Fighting for what would appear to be present day democracy, liberals fought for:

A weakness of democracy is the “Tyranny of the Majority”. This is an inevitable pitfall, because in a democracy, the power is vested foremost in the people the constituting the society itself. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote on this concept:

The relationship between liberalism and democracy is that both should attempt to be intertwined. Liberalism is like the roof and walls which protect the citizens from government and democracy is the structure and foundations which keeps order. It is completely possible to have one without the other, but the results are not always good. As stated in the second reading, the separation of the two would result in forms of illiberal democracy or liberal autocracy. Illiberal democracy would have the electoral process of a "thin" democracy, but will likely overlook protecting the citizens' rights and focus on accumulating power. A liberal autocracy may not allow much say into who or what is spearheading the nation, but will allow many qualities seen in a "thick" democracy. Illiberal democracies may also eventually spiral into disarray along with horizontal and vertical usurpation. Liberal autocracies would have freedom of speech, a fair judicial system, and even individual freedoms for beliefs, culture, and religion. Of course, there may be more or less freedoms with both liberal autocracies and illiberal

Fukuyama and McFaul make strong arguments for the importance of democracy promotion, but it is not without its flaws. The world is fragmented by ethnic, linguistic and religious differences, and as such, the notion that there exists 'moral universals' is viewed as dangerous (Dunne 2001, pp. 179). Gray (1995, pp. 146) aptly articulated that "the universalizing mission of liberal values such as democracy, capitalism and secularism undermine the traditions and practices of non-Western cultures." And that may illustrate the rejection of Liberalism thus far. Democracy, when promoted by Western states, is inextricably tied in with other Western ideals such as capitalism and secularism. These ideals often do not mesh well with prevailing cultural practices, resulting in dissent and potential military conflict, results contrary to Liberalism's ultimate goal. This leads to the second rationale: national security.