Dictators, War and Revolution Week 3: Liberalism/Liberal Democracy – Weekly Question: How compatible is the liberal principle of 'individual freedom' with the democratic notion of 'majority rule'?

The Term ‘Liberal’ In use since the 14th century Wide variety of meanings: a) class of free men – no serfs or slaves; b) generous – i.e. liberal helping of food or drink; c) openness or open-minded; d) freedom of choice

The term ‘Liberalism’ Appeared in early 19th century As a political creed it reflected the aspirations of a rising middle class, whose interests conflicted with the established power of absolute monarchs and the landed aristocracy English revolution of the 17th century, the American and French revolutions of the late 18th century all embodied elements that were liberal

What is liberalism all about? Liberals challenged the power of the monarch which was based on the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings Liberals advocated constitutional and later representative government Liberal criticized the political and economic privileges of landed aristocracy They supported ‘freedom of choice’ in religion and questioned the authority of the established church

19th century-”Liberal Century”? Liberal ideas triumphed as industrialization spread out throughout Western Europe Liberals advocated an industrialized and market economic order “free” from government interference This system of industrial capitalism developed first in Britain from the mid 18th century onwards and then spread to North America and throughout Europe – Western Europe first and Eastern Europe later

19th century-”Liberal Century”? Many non-Western European countries have sometimes been resistant to the attractions of liberal capitalism because they emphasized the community rather than the individual In those countries more fertile ground for the growth of socialism or nationalism rather than the growth of Western liberalism

Liberal Democracy Western political systems have been shaped by liberal ideas and values – commonly classified as liberal democracies These systems: a) constitutional; b) seek to limit government power and safeguard civil liberties; c) representative – i.e. office is gained through competitive elections Western style liberal regimes were bequeathed to African or Asian countries upon achieving independence with varying degrees of success.

Liberal Democracy Liberal democratic systems have sometimes collapsed in the absence of industrial capitalism or of the nature of the indigenous political culture of most Western countries Ideas such as freedom of speech, freedom of religious worship, right to own property, all drawn from liberalism

Liberalism and Capitalism Some thinkers have been argued that there is a necessary and inevitable link between liberalism and capitalism Marxists believe that liberal ideas simply reflect the economic interests of a “ruling class” of property owners within capitalist society

Liberalism-Problems Liberalism cannot always be easily distinguished from rival Western political ideologies, i.e. conservatism and socialism Liberal party in Britain once a major party of government, first formed an electoral alliance with the nearly created SDP in 1981, before the two parties fused to create the Liberal Democrats in 1988

Liberalism-Problems In the 20th century Liberals lost support to Labour and Conservative parties The architect of the expanded welfare state introduced by labour after 1945 was the liberal William Beveridge Modern conservative parties sympathy with free market economies, particularly during the Thatcher period – they draw upon the ideas of early liberal economists like Adam Smith

Changes in liberal ideology The character of liberalism changed as the rising of middle class succeeded in establishing its economic and political dominance Liberalism became increasingly conservative, standing less for change and reform and more for the maintenance of existing liberal institutions

Changes in liberal ideology Progress of industrialization led liberals to revise the ideas of early liberalism Early liberals wanted governments to interfere as little as possible in the lives of its citizens Modern liberals – governments should be responsible for delivering welfare services, such as health, housing, pensions, education, as well as managing the economy

Changes in liberal ideology Two traditions of thought within liberalism: a) classical liberalism; b) modern liberalism

Liberalism and IR Central to liberals the formation of an international organization to facilitate peaceful change, disarmament, arbitration, and where necessary enforcement League of Nations was founded in 1920s After the Second World War: Creation of the UN In the post-1945 liberals turned to international institutions to carry out a number of functions the state could not perform

Liberalism and IR This was the catalyst for integration theory in Europe and Pluralism in the USA Democratic peace liberalism and neo-liberalism the dominant strands in liberal thinking today Neo-liberalism explains the durability of institutions despite significant changes in the context. According to neo-liberals institutions exert a causal force on international relations, shaping state preferences and locking them into cooperative agreements

Next Week Socialism and Communism with Toby Abse Thank you for your attention!