Liberalism Revision Sheet PDF

# Liberalism Revision Sheet ## Core Features of All Liberalism * Individual freedom * Private property * Liberty * Capitalism ## Classical Liberalism * 17th Century to the Late 19th Century * **Negative Liberty** was the idea that individuals needed to be left alone to pursue their destiny. Any...

# Liberalism Revision Sheet ## Core Features of All Liberalism * Individual freedom * Private property * Liberty * Capitalism ## Classical Liberalism * 17th Century to the Late 19th Century * **Negative Liberty** was the idea that individuals needed to be left alone to pursue their destiny. Any attempt to interfere with individual actions may be judged an infringement of liberty. This was a natural right of individuals for self-determination and self-reliance; this was a condition of government consent. * **Minimal State** was formed under the premise that liberty was seen as the absence of restraint. Government should be limited in how they act. Jefferson noted “The government that is best is that which governs least.. When government grows, our liberty withers" * **Laissez Faire capitalism** argued that the “invisible hand” of the markets, not state intervention was needed. Wealth acquired by capitalists would trickle down to the rest of society. * Mary Wollstonecraft questioned how a nation can be “free” if women are not… ## Later Classical Liberalism * Early/mid 19th Century * **Role of the Industrial Revolution** in developing countries economies and societies. * **Role of Bentham and Utilitarianism, Happiness of the greatest number** developed a supposed scientific alternative to **NATURAL RIGHTS THEORY**, where individuals seek to maximise their utility. Industrialised society would create more flashpoints - and so derived ‘greatest happiness of the greatest number’. This began to inform legislation and particularly was used to justify democracy. * **Smiles** was afraid individualism was under threat from the advent of socialism. He argued in his book ‘self-help’ that self-reliance was still perfectly feasible - and there was no need for state intervention. He acknowledged industrialisation had made this more difficult - but argued that due to the new challenges and issues individuals would face - they would become more fully developed. If self-help was usurped by state help then humans would remain stunted and their talents unknown and liberty squandered. * **Herbert Spencer** was a contemporary of Smiles - acknowledged the importance of self-help and echoed smiles contempt for more state intervention. However, questioned whether all could rise to the challenge of self-help. He feared the 'feeble' minority could justify the extension of the states' power - and erode the majority's freedom. He applied Social Darwinism to society and said that a minimal state and LF capitalism would lead to "survival of the fittest". ## Modern Liberalism * 19th Century to the present day * **Started with the questioning of Liberty** due to the external socio-economic forces of capitalism. This made people question whether individuals had the capacity to break through the forces of capitalism to achieve their potential and achieve liberty. * **Positive Liberty** is the idea that negative liberty often inhibited individuals rather than making them free. Individuals needed enabling to achieve freedom to exercise their individual talents. * **Social Justice & the Enlarged State** Modern Liberals felt there was a substantial extension of the state in the name of individual liberty. Many things like: Pensions, welfare etc would stop socio-economic forces outside of their individual control from “robbing" them of their freedom. * **John Rawls and the “veil of ignorance”** thought experiment presupposes that we are stuck in a conscious state hovering above the earth and question if we would play the “birth lottery” to be born into any society in the world. The fact we are apprehensive about saying yes proves that we know there is a problem. * **John Maynard Keynes** felt that only the state would be able to steer the economic and manage demand to secure full employ to allow individuals to achieve liberty and freedom. * **Tolerance of individual freedoms are also vital to modern liberals.** Individuals should have the right to their own individualism (sexual orientation etc). Conflict caused over these types of issues makes no sense, individualism should be celebrated not curtailed.