Categorical state and religious theories arise from people's dissatisfaction with the situation in the country. Liberalism is no exception. He appeared in response to the unrestricted feudal monarchy and the complete violation of human rights and freedoms.
Liberalism comes from the Latin word for freedom. The origins of this state and economic principle are John Locke, Immanuel Kant and Adam Smith. Humboldt and Taquville, as well as many modern economists and politicians, had a significant influence on its development.
In its original form, liberalism called for the complete abolition of the role of the state in society. He assumed the supremacy of human rights over all other state principles. At the same time, the theory brought a person to the first positions and responsibilities.
Over the centuries, liberalism has become the dominant state policy in an increasing number of countries. He began to influence even previously unlimited monarchies and dictatorships. Liberals advocated the separation of religion from the state, the introduction of a market economy and private property.
One of the first countries where liberalism took place as the main direction of state development was the United States.
Over time, liberal theory began to deviate more and more into economics. And against this background, neoliberalism separated from the mainstream of liberalism. The position of its adherents is based on the elimination of protectionism as a phenomenon and the complete separation of economics from politics. Complete market freedom and unrestricted competition are the main principles of this theory.
At the same time, liberalism, despite its historical opposition to the current government, does not exclude the influence of the state on the economy. After all, this is the only way to ensure not only economic, but also social development of civil society. Especially the new liberals began to insist on strengthening state power. This movement originated during the Edwardian era in England. Its supporters chose the maximum development of the social sphere as the main goal of the struggle.
On the other hand, an independent trend, called "libertarianism", separated from liberalism. It does not recognize any restrictions on the will of a person, being an anarchist ideology. In postulates, libertarianism looks like an ideal democracy. But in reality it is completely anti-state.
At the same time, modern liberalism defends only the rights of those people and countries, worldview and other views are similar to liberal politicians and businessmen. Those who disagree are subjected to various kinds of discrimination. This is clearly seen in the examples of the unceremonious domestic and foreign policy of the United States and modern Russia.
In Russia, liberalism began to develop with the collapse of the communist ideology. But in its development, it began to look more like a mixture of hypertrophied libertarianism and neoliberalism with elements of bureaucratic arbitrariness. The rise of corruption and rampant banditry, coupled with the constant talk of human rights, has severely shaken popular confidence in liberal foundations.
That is why most Russians do not separate the liberalism of the 1990s from anarchism. And it will take a lot of effort for modern liberals to restore people's confidence in liberalism.
