liberalism

(noun)

Any political movement founded on the autonomy and personal freedom of the individual, progress and reform, and government by law with the consent of the governed.

Related Terms

Examples of liberalism in the following topics:

  • The Spread of Liberal Democracy

    • Liberal democracy is a common form of representative democracy.
    • Reforms and revolutions helped move most European countries towards liberal democracy.
    • Liberalism ceased to be a fringe opinion and joined the political mainstream.
    • By the end of the 19th century, liberal democracy was no longer only a liberal idea, but an idea supported by many different ideologies.
    • Defend the notion of liberal democracy using examples from its enlightenment origins

  • Monarchies and Liberal Democracies

    • Monarchies, in which sovereignty embodied in a single individual, eventually gave way to liberal democracies.
    • Liberal democracy traces its origins, and its name, to the European 18th century, also known as the Age of Enlightenment.
    • Near the end of the 18th century, these ideas inspired the American and French Revolutions, the latter giving birth to the ideology of liberalism, and instituting forms of government that attempted to apply the principles of the Enlightenment philosophers into practice.
    • Reforms and revolutions helped move most European countries towards liberal democracy.
    • Liberalism ceased being a fringe opinion and joined the political mainstream.

  • Terrorism

    • Some terrorist groups may see themselves as first and foremost fighting for liberation, a struggle so important that they argue it justifies unpalatable methods.
    • ETA is the main organization of the Basque National Liberation Movement and is the most important participant in the Basque conflict.
    • However, some groups, when involved in a liberation struggle, have been called terrorists by the Western governments or media.
    • In some liberation struggles, these same persons can become the leaders or statesman of these liberated nations .
    • The ETA is considered a terrorist organization by most governments, but proclaims its own mission to be liberation.

  • The Development of Sociology in the U.S.

    • As a political approach, Ward's system became known as "social liberalism," as distinguished from the classical liberalism of the 18th and 19th centuries.
    • While classical liberalism (featuring such thinkers as Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill) had sought prosperity and progress through laissez-faire policies, Ward's "American social liberalism" sought to enhance social progress through direct government intervention.
    • He has, in fact, been called "the father of the modern welfare state. " The liberalism of the Democrats today is not that of Smith and Mill, which stressed non-interference from the government in economic issues, but of Ward, which stressed the unique position of government to effect positive change.

  • Culture Wars

    • In American usage, "culture war" refers to the claim that there is a conflict between those conservative and liberal values.
    • In American usage, the term culture war is used to claim that there is a conflict between those values considered traditionalist or conservative and those considered progressive or liberal.

  • Evaluating Global Theories of Inequality

    • The idea that all members of a society should be equal is often associated with modern liberalism.
    • In modern liberal societies, individuals tend to value human rights according to the idea that all people are born with equal value.
    • Differentiate between the positions on social inequality taken by functionalists, Marxists, modern liberalism, and social justice advocates

  • Capitalism

    • A number of political ideologies have emerged in support of various types of capitalism, the most prominent being economic liberalism.
    • However, in the 20th century, capitalism also accompanied a variety of political formations quite distinct from liberal democracies, including fascist regimes, absolute monarchies, and single-party states.

  • Statistical Trends in Divorce

    • Population studies have found that in 2004 and 2008, liberal-voting states have lower rates of divorce than conservative-voting states, possibly because people in liberal states tend to wait longer before getting married.

  • The Feminist Perspective

    • Mary Ann Weathers demonstrates intersectionality in action in "An Argument for Black Women's Liberation as a Revolutionary Force."
    • Mary Ann Weathers demonstrates intersectionality in action in "An Argument for Black Women's Liberation as a Revolutionary Force."

  • The Capitalist Critique of Socialism

    • Economic liberals, pro-capitalist libertarians, and some classical liberals view private enterprise, private ownership of the means of production, and the market exchange as central to conceptions of freedom and liberty.