Liberal views are one of the most influential ideological and political trends. The principles of freedom of the individual and speech, the rule of law, the separation of powers developed by him are the most important values of a democratic society today.
The origins of liberalism
The concept of liberalism (from the Latin liberalis - free) first appeared in literature in the 19th century, although it was formed much earlier as a course of social and political thought. Ideology arose in response to the disenfranchised position of citizens in an absolute monarchy.
The main achievements of classical liberalism are the development of the Theory of Social Contract, as well as the concepts of natural rights of the individual and the theory of separation of powers. The authors of The Theory of Social Contract were D. Locke, C. Montesquieu and J.-J. Russo. According to her, the origin of the state, civil society and law is based on an agreement between people. The social contract implies that people partially renounce sovereignty and transfer it to the state in exchange for ensuring their rights and freedoms. The key principle is that a legitimate governing body must be obtained with the consent of the governed and it has only those rights that were delegated to it by citizens.
Based on these signs, the supporters of liberalism did not recognize the absolute monarchy and believed that such power corrupts, because it has no limiting principles. Therefore, the first liberals insisted on the expediency of the separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial. Thus, a system of checks and balances is created and there is no room for arbitrariness. A similar idea is described in detail in the works of Montesquieu.
The ideological founders of liberalism developed the principle of the natural inalienable rights of a citizen, including the right to life, freedom and property. Possession of them does not depend on belonging to any class, but is given by nature.
Classical liberalism
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a form of classical liberalism took shape. Its ideologists include Bentham, Mill, Spencer. The adherents of classical liberalism put at the forefront not public, but individual interests. Moreover, the priority of individualism was defended by them in a radical extreme form. This distinguished classical liberalism from the form in which it originally existed.
Another important principle was anti-paternalism, which implied minimal government interference in private life and the economy. State participation in economic life should be limited to the creation of a free market for goods and labor. Freedom was perceived by liberals as a key value, the main guarantee of which was private property. Accordingly, economic freedom had the highest priority.
Thus, the basic values of classical liberalism were the freedom of the individual, the inviolability of private property and the minimum state participation. However, in practice, such a model did not contribute to the formation of the common good and led to social stratification. This led to the spread of the neoliberal model.
Modern liberalism
In the last third of the 19th century, a new trend began to take shape - neoliberalism. Its formation was caused by the crisis of liberal doctrine, which went to the maximum rapprochement with conservative ideology and did not take into account the interests of a widespread stratum - the working class.
Justice and the consent of the governors and the governed were proclaimed as the leading dignity of the political system. Neoliberalism also sought to reconcile the values of equality and freedom.
Neoliberals no longer insisted that a person should be guided by selfish interests, but should contribute to the formation of the common good. And although individuality is the highest goal, it is possible only with a close relationship with society. Man began to be perceived as a social being.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the need for state participation in the economic sphere for an equitable distribution of benefits also became apparent. In particular, the functions of the state included the need to create an education system, establish a minimum wage and monitor working conditions, provide unemployment or sickness benefits, etc.
They are opposed by libertarians who advocate the preservation of the basic principles of liberalism - free enterprise, as well as the inviolability of natural freedoms.
