Liberalism (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what liberalism is, its currents, origin and representatives. Furthermore, social and economic liberalism.

the social contract john locke — John Locke is considered the father of classical Liberalism.

What is liberalism?

Liberalism is a economic and political current which emphasizes the protection and promotion of individual freedoms as the central problem that political exercise must address.

Liberalism proposes, politically, socially and economically, that The reason for being of the State lies in guaranteeing equality before the law and the fair exercise of individual freedoms. At the same time, according to this current, the State must have clear limits to its power so that it does not constitute an impediment to the exercise of a free and autonomous life.

Liberalism encompasses a set of ways of thinking that share the defense of individual rights (such as freedom of expression), economic freedom, secularism, private property, democracy, individual autonomy, equality of opportunity and the State. of law.

History of liberalism

The origin of liberalism dates back to Britain in the 17th century where it emerged from empiricist philosophy and utilitarian philosophy. Both philosophies influenced in one way or another the birth of mercantilism, a school of thought that demanded state intervention in the economy. It proposed guaranteeing the nation the necessary conditions to generate wealth and compete in the market. However, state interference tended to benefit the upper classes and limited free enterprise, which went against the rise of the bourgeois and merchant middle classes.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the first revolution of the bourgeoisie took place against the interests of the aristocracy and the Ancien Regime, especially in France and England. This led to the English Civil Wars, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the French Revolution of 1789.

All of these conflicts laid the foundations for a new form of egalitarian, individualistic and liberal thinking that spread throughout Europe. This new thinking resulted, in some cases, in the fall of monarchies and, in other cases, a new pact between these monarchies and the upper classes forced those in power to make pacts with the rest of the socioeconomic actors. This political transformation gave rise to classical liberalism and was vital in the emergence of capitalist society.

As a philosophical current, liberalism has its intellectual origins in the works of the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790). Both thinkers opposed monarchical absolutism, whose power lies in the authoritarian concentration of an autocratic monarchy.

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Considered the father of classical liberalism, John Locke was a British empiricist whose work influenced notable thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseu intellectuals of the French Enlightenment. He contributed notably to the theory of the social contract, as well as to classical republicanism and liberal theory, reflected in the Declaration of Independence of the United States and the English Declaration of Rights of 1689. He developed a theory of political authority based on consensus. of the governed people and in the nature of individual rights.

Adam Smith, for his part, maintained that societies prosper when subjects are free to pursue their own interest in a system of private ownership of the means of production, as well as in a competitive, autonomous market free of the State or monopolies. private.

In its historical development, political, economic and social liberalism also received contributions from the ideas of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), James Madison (1751-1836) and Montesquieu (1689-1755). Other thinkers have also influenced liberal theory, contributing more or less traditional conceptual forms and developments. Due to its extensive development at a global level, Liberalism as a philosophical and practical current has different schools and manifestations.

Characteristics of liberalism

In general terms, some characteristics of liberalism are:

It considers freedom in all its aspects as an inviolable element of citizen life: freedom of worship, freedom of the press, freedom of association and freedom of thought must be guaranteed. However, the exercise of these freedoms must not contradict the freedoms of others. Individual freedom must be sacred and the State cannot violate it.
It defends the principle of equality before the law for all citizens, guaranteed by the rule of law, both in political and social spheres. Only then is the individual freely responsible for his actions.
It defends the principle of private property as an inalienable right of the individual, protected by law against collectivist initiatives.
It defends the existence of a secular education and a secular State, composed of autonomous and independent powers according to the republican model (executive, legislative, judicial), since the solution to dilemmas can always be found through the exercise of political dialogue.
It proposes the minimum interference of the government in citizen life and the minimum interference of the State in the management of the economy.

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Main liberal currents

There are several liberal historical currents or derivatives of liberalism. However, not all have had the same impact and political, economic and social acceptance. The most notable are:

classical liberalism. Born from the European bourgeoisie of the 17th and 18th centuries and its fight against monarchical absolutism and aristocratic privileges, it defends the non-interference of the king's power in civil affairs, freedom of worship, political and economic exercise. It was a movement typical of early capitalism, fundamental in the fall of the Old Regime and the emergence of the Enlightenment, a current that opposed the interference of the State in economic affairs, defending individual freedoms at all costs.
Socioliberalism. Also known as liberal progressivism, social capitalism or social market economy, it pursues a balance between the defense of individual freedoms and economic exercise, and the protection of the State against unfair and excessive forms of the market – such as monopolies and other forms of unfair competition. Socioliberalism seeks the intervention of a state that guarantees the conditions of production and that is why it is also called a welfare state.
minarchism. A supporter of the minimal State, he maintains that the State must only guarantee the territorial defense of the nation and the support of justice and public order. This model proposes that the rest of the economic and social affairs should be left in private hands. This term was coined in 1971 by the American Sam Konkin (1947-2003).
Anarchocapitalism. Also known as free market anarchism or anarcholiberalism, it proposes an organized society lacking a State, in which absolutely all goods and services come from free market competition.

Although the social aspect and the economic aspect coexist within liberal philosophy, social and economic liberalism can be understood separately as follows:

Social liberalism. It has to do with the State's non-interference in the private lives of citizens or in their social relationships. This allows freedom of worship, thought, association and the press, as long as the laws are not broken or the freedoms of third parties are not violated. Liberalism is in favor of the rule of law – that is, of equality before the law – and considers, on the contrary, that what happens in the intimate forum of citizen life concerns solely and exclusively those involved, as long as it is not is committing any crime.
Economic liberalism. It maintains the necessary independence of the commercial and commercial relations of citizens from the interference of the State, as long as this exercise does not constitute any violence against the freedoms of others. Taxes, regulations and government restrictions must be eliminated or, at least, restricted to a minimum, to allow free competition to guide the market and productive labor along its own paths.

Representatives of liberalism

Adam Smith was one of the founders of economic liberalism.

The main exponents of liberal thought throughout history were:

John Locke (1632-1704). English philosopher and doctor belonging to the current of English empiricism, he is considered the father of classical liberalism. He was the first to formulate a properly liberal philosophy, based on the right to private property and the consent of the governed.
Adam Smith (1723-1790). British economist and philosopher, he was one of the founders of economic liberalism. His thought was key to the emergence of capitalism and is reflected in his famous The wealth of nations (1776), where he stated that free competition between private actors distributes wealth better than markets controlled by the State.
David Ricardo (1772-1823). He was a British economist whose treatises defended the establishment of a strong monetary unit, whose value depended directly on some precious metal, such as gold. He was the author of various liberal economic theories, in which he stressed the importance of free competition and international marketing.

Political-economic neoliberalism

The concept of neoliberalism is related to the resurgence of liberal political-economic doctrine at the end of the 20th century.

This movement was widely criticized by progressive sectors of society even though many of his ideas were put into practice during the 80s and 90s by governments of different political and economic inclinations. An example of this was the economic policy of the government of Ronald Reagan in the United States and that of Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom.