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liberalism, Agreements, core ideas, differing tensions, key thinkers,…
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Agreements
welfarism
Also, despite the support for welfarism, modern liberalism does not place society before the individual
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Classical (and modern) liberals support the principle of self-government- that groups of people should have the power to rule themselves- to help protect civil liberties. They also see the state as something which has been created by the people as a way of protecting rights and interests (mechanistic theory).
Both types want to promote freedom, although the way the state should do this is different
The state cannot force people to be good, but should help provide conditions in which they can make responsible moral decisions- the individual therefore retains autonomy
It can be seen therefore that the underlying commitment to the needs of the individual and individual freedom remains- the central thrust of modern liberalism is to help individuals help themselves
core ideas
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individualism
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in the modern world, the concept of the individual is so familiar that its poltiical significance is often overlooked
in the fuedal perod there was little idea of individuals having their own interests and identitites. poeple saw themselves more as a group or community.
however as fuedal life broke down and a new intellectual climate emerged. rational explainations gradually displaced traditiional theories and society became more accostomed to the indifivual identity.
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atomism - a belief that society is made up of a collection of self interested and self sufficient individuals or atoms, rather than social groups
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rationalism -the belief that the world has a rational structure
as a political theory, rationalism is the belief that knowledge flows from reason rather than experience
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differing tensions
the economy
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classical liberals
Classical liberals support a laissez-faire capitalist economy, which allows for personal freedom and provides benefits for all of society.
modern liberals
This arose as a reaction to the effects of capitalism, which had created large inequalities of wealth and social circumstance. Modern liberals recognised that, in conditions of extreme poverty, people were prevented from rising in society, no matter how talented they were or how hard they worked.
Modern liberalism also supports ‘Keynesianism’- a rejection of classical liberal laissez-faire economics, based on the ideas of the economist John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946)
Keynes rejected a self-regulating market and said that governments can influence ‘aggregate demand’ (the total amount people are spending in the economy) by spending its own money in the economy
very pro-market, support capitalism believing that incentives make people strive harder to advance and they like rewards for effort. Classical liberals favour a laissez faire approach to the economy. Modern liberals feel that an unregulated free market can cause social problems and are supportive of state intervention to curb the excesses of the market economy to promote social justice and equality of opportunity.
human nature
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rationalism
Rationalism is the belief that humans are rational creatures, capable of reason and logic. The essentials: The logical starting-point towards understanding any ideology concerns its view of human nature. In straight-forward terms, liberals share an optimistic attitude towards human nature
the state
modern liberals
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enabling state
where the state helps to protect individual freedoms by exercising a wider range of social and economic responsibilities than a minimal state.
The Beveridge Report of 1942 reported that much of the British population were held back by the ‘five giants’: want (poverty), ignorance (lack of education), disease (ill health), squalor (poor living conditions) and idleness (unemployment)
clasiical liberals
Classical liberals strongly support a minimal state, whereby the state just lays down the conditions for an orderly existence but, as far as possible, does not get involved in people’s lives.
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Some liberals support the idea of social Darwinism, which is the ‘survival of the fittest’ principle applied to society. The idea is that people will rise and fall in society depending on their own merits and efforts, so it is not the responsibility of the state to help those at the bottom of society, for example through welfare
Freedom
Modern Liberals
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liberty may be threatened by social disadvantage and inequality, so it is not enough for individuals to be ‘left alone’ to ensure liberty.
critical of the classical liberal notion of negative liberty- giving freedom of choice would lead to unjust actions and exploitation (‘freedom to starve’).
Modern liberals saw freedom as the ability of the individual to develop and realise their potential, and achieve fulfilment (positive freedom).
classical liberals
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should be an absence of constraints on the individual, meaning the state should be minimal. This will encourage individuals to take responsibility for their lives and be self-reliant. The alternative is that people may become reliant on the state, leading to a dependency culture. Egoistical individualism is also supported by classical liberals, where freedom is associated with self-interest and self-reliance.
society
Society: society is a collective body which is comprised largely of self-reliant individuals. Sees the need for contractual obligations, for instance so that business can operate with confidence. Understands the work of voluntary groups in society in the belief that as a natural order emerges with the market economy so a natural order will emerge in society as people promote the common good.
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key thinkers
john stuart mill
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On the basis of their optimistic outlook on human nature, liberals seek to empower the individual provided our actions do not undermine the freedom of others. As one of the most prominent liberal thinkers of all time (John Stuart Mill) argued “the liberty of the individual must be this far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.” It is on this liberal cornerstone that laws exist in order to prevent incitement to racial and religious hatred. Targeting minority groups on the basis of bigotry is particularly abhorrent to any true liberal.
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MODERN LIBERALS
social liberalism
the twentieth century witnessed the growth of state interventjon in most western countries and in many developing ones
if the minimal state was typical of the nineteenth century during the twentieth century states became welfare states.
government sought for example, to achieve national efficiency, healthier workforces and stronger armies. they also came under stronger electoral pressure for social reform
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economic management
rejects classical liberal thinking, in particular its belief in self regulating free market and the doctrine of laissez-faire
the great depression of 1930s led to high levels of unemployment through the industrialised world. this demonstrated the failure of the free market
keynsianism - provides an alternative to neoclassical economics and criticises laissez faire capitalism
context
whilst industrialisation came with wealth for some it also brought around ignorance, poverty, slums and disease. modern liberalism attempts to accomodate that
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CLASSICAL LIBERALISM
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classical liberalism was the earliest liberal tradition developed during the transition from feudalism to capitalism and reached its highest point during the early industrialization of the nineteenth century.