1. The Shift to Modern Liberalism

2. Classical liberalism slowly evolved into modern liberalism throughout the late 1800s and 1900s
Influenced by the development of socialist ideology, political and social movements formed to address the unequal distribution of wealth and treatment of the lower class under laissez-faire capitalism.
Eventually liberal governments began to get more involved as a response
The term welfare capitalism was used to refer to a classical liberal economic system combined with gov’t legislation to protect workers’ rights

3. Most of this early legislation related only to working conditions (max hours, min. wages) and didn’t address issues such as child poverty, education, or housing.
Gov’t intervention went against classical liberalism, but was based on key liberal values like individual rights.
Labour unions grew greatly during the late 1800s and early 1900s – they used liberal values (freedom of association, freedom of speech) to protect their rights as workers.

4. The Great Depression of the 1930s led to the creation of a welfare state.
Welfare state – a society in which gov’t plays a large role in providing for the needs and common good of citizens through social programs
Common features of a welfare state:
Public education
Health care
Employment/disability insurance
Old-age assistance & pensions
The primary cause of the Depression was the lack of regulation in the free-market economic system which led to rapid growth during the 1920s but also caused the Stock Market Crash of 1929 (October 29, 1929)

5. Argument FOR welfare state: - when people are healthy, safe, and have basic needs met they are better able to be productive in society & the economy
Argument AGAINST welfare state: - leads to dependence on gov’t and discourages motivation and productivity

6. Other key developments in the shift to modern liberalism include:
Slow progression towards universal suffrage (p. 157)
The rise of feminism and women’s equality with men
Protection of human rights through documents like Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed by the United Nations after WWII
Equal rights for all people regardless of race, sexual orientation, etc. and an emphasis on equal opportunity for all individuals
Creation of NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) to promote and protect human rights