Impacts and Responses to Classical Liberalism

Conditions Created by Classical Liberalism Industrialization was possible due to the political climate Adam Smith Laissez-Faire capitalism John Stuart Mill Individual choices A reliance on these opinions led to the development of a society where inequalities were present and excused Capitalist argument Libertarian argument Disparity Standard of living

Assignment: “How the other half lives” Page 120 Questions 1-3 ‘A contemporary Example of Income Gap’ Page 121 Questions 1-3 ‘Child Labourers Speak’ Page 123 Questions 1-2 ‘Dickens and Child Labour’ Page 124 Question 1

Responses to the Conditions Created by Classical Liberalism Luddites Against machinery replacing labourers Human Rights movements Looked to establish a standard for the equal treatment of all people Factory Acts 1802 Established a base level of protection for children in factories 1819 Limited hours of work for children to 12 hours per day 1833 Illegal to employ children under the age of 9, maximum of 48 hours per week if children were over the age of 13 1878 Established compulsory education for children up to the age of 10 and limited hours of work. Children from the ages of 10-14 could only work half days 6 hours 1874 No worker was able to work more than 56.5 hours per week

Working Class Perspectives: The squeeze of economic growth Cost of living Wages Net result in Standard of Living Working Conditions Unsafe, overcrowded, noisy, and had very little access to light or ventilation Child Labour

Responses to the Conditions Created by Classical Liberalism Labour Unions Worked to try to improve the working conditions of either a specific group of workers or an entire industry Some view the formation of unions as a necessary organization to prevent abuses in the work place and ensure workers rights against factory owners who would exploit them Others view unions as organizations which simply establish artificially high prices for labour, and as such, prices

Suffrage and Democracy In 1800 there were no liberal democracies Governments where all members of the society have the right to vote By ~1850-1890s the state had expanded voting rights as part of their expansion into liberal beliefs Focus on the individual No longer simply based on land now seen more as a fundamental right This led to the development of modern politics To get elected you must be popular The change in who was allowed to vote led to different policies The welfare state Public housing Education Health care Employment and disability insurance Social assistance Modern liberal values

Modern Liberal Values All people are equal both in opportunity and in rights Feminism Welfare state Government involvement in both economic and social aspects of peoples lives The return of the spectrum!

Protection of Human Rights Liberal goverments seek to identify human rights 20th c. people argue for rights protection in and out of workplace UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) – standard for all countries to adopt as law for their citizens These laws include: right to take part in govt., be treat equally, right to liberty, freedom of thought and worship, to own property Declaration also addresses working conditions To promote human rights, liberal governments may economically punish countries accused of abusing human rights

So what is the deal with Liberalism?

Classical Liberal Values: Political Establishment of democratic values Individual decision making Limited government involvement Based around the protection of rights and freedoms Economic Individual initiative Competition Social Disparity Middle class life style Philanthropy Establishment of the working classes Urbanization Political Representative democracy Responsible government Rights and responsibilities Economic Government intervention in the economy balanced with some individual initiative Equality (extreme to limited) This is really dependant on the type of system Social Some disparity but government programs to ensure equality of the very least opportunity System is still based on the principles of middle class

Classical Liberalism Effects Modern Liberalism Figure 5-18: The shift from classical liberalism to modern liberalism in western democracies Classical Liberalism Effects Modern Liberalism Involves no government intervention in the economy (hands-off) Proposes that the only function for government is to protect individuals’ natural rights to life, liberty and property Emphasizes economic liberalism and promotes the freedoms of risk takers, such as business owners Allowed people the freedom to innovate and increase production Contributed to the great wealth for some Contributed to the wealth gap (disparity) between people who were rich and those who were poor Contributed to the development of ideologies that opposed capitalism, such as communism and fascism, and led to the development of a new modern liberalism Contributed to the Depression in the 1930s Involved significant government intervention at times (hands-on) Proposes that peoples rights should be included as a part of the political systems in society, including that all individuals should be valued equally Proposes the development of government programs to help disadvantaged individuals and eliminates the cause of poverty crime and abuse Promotes sharing the benefits of economic development and having some consideration for the environment Examples: Adam Smith’s invisible hand Free market systems Laissez-faire policies New businesses Inventions and technologies The success of the nouveau riche The rise of child labour Extreme poverty of the working class The creation of public education Welfare Public housing Unions Rights movements Civil rights legislation Labour standards and labour laws Protection of the environment

Political-Economic Spectrum Degree of government intervention to ensure the well being of society High Low Left Righ t Centre Society though the state, is responsible for everyone's well-being Individuals are responsible for their own well-being Classical Liberalism Democratic Socialism Modern liberalism Communism Conservative

Political Spectrum Left Centre Right Social Change Less social change Radical Liberal moderate Conservative Reactionary Left Centre Right Favor immediate and fundamental social change Extreme radicals favor change through violence Favor change through peaceful and legal means using government policy Typically define this as progress Are open to change if necessary Favors a return to the ‘good old days’ extreme reactionaries favor change through violence Want to keep the status Quo

Assignment: ‘Early Feminism’ Knowledge and Understanding Page 132 Questions 1-2 Knowledge and Understanding Page 136 Questions 1-3 ‘Winnipeg General Strike’ Pages 137-138 Questions 1-2