liberalism
Sign in to saveLiberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, right to private property, and equality before the law. Different liberals espouse various and sometimes conflicting views depending on their understanding of these principles but generally support liberal democracy, private property, market economies, individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), secularism, rule of law, economic and political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. Li
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Liberalism is a political philosophy centered on protecting individual rights and freedoms—such as liberty, equality before the law, private property ownership, and consent of the governed—as the foundation for organizing society. It matters because liberal ideas have shaped modern democracies and continue to influence debates about how governments should balance individual freedom with collective welfare, though liberals themselves often disagree about how best to apply these principles.
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Article
32 sectionsContents
- Definitions
- Origins
- Modern usage and definitions
- Social liberalism
- Classical liberalism
- Philosophy
- Major themes
- Classical and modern
- John Locke and Thomas Hobbes
- James Madison and Montesquieu
- Coppet Group and Benjamin Constant
- British liberalism
- Liberal economic theory
- Keynesian economics
- Liberal feminist theory
- Social liberal theory
- Anti-state liberal theory
- History
- Criticism and support <!--'Anti-liberal' and 'Anti-liberalism' redirects here-->
- Anarchism
- Catholicism
- Conservatism
- Fascism
- Feminism
- Islam
- Marxism
- Social democracy
- See also
- References
- Notes
- Bibliography and further reading
- External links
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, right to private property, and equality before the law. Different liberals espouse various and sometimes conflicting views depending on their understanding of these principles but generally support liberal democracy, private property, market economies, individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), secularism, rule of law, economic and political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. Liberalism is frequently cited as the dominant ideology of modern history.
Liberalism became a distinct movement in the Age of Enlightenment, gaining popularity among Western philosophers and economists. Liberalism sought to replace the norms of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, the divine right of kings and traditional conservatism with representative democracy, rule of law, and equality under the law. Liberals also ended mercantilist policies, royal monopolies, and other trade barriers, instead promoting free trade and marketization. The philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct tradition based on the social contract, arguing that each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property, and governments must not violate these rights. While the British liberal tradition emphasized expanding democracy, French liberalism emphasized rejecting authoritarianism and is linked to nation-building.