Related Issue 2 - To what extent is resistance to liberalism justified?
Social 30-1
Student Review
Chapters 3 to 5
Examine the relationship between the principles of liberalism and the origins of classical
liberal thought (John Locke, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill)
- Identify principles of liberalism that have remained constant over time.
What are the key ideas of each of the following thinkers that link to classical liberalism?
- John Locke
- Montesquieu
- Adam Smith
- John Mill
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Analyze the impacts of classical liberal thought on 19th century society
- Laissez-faire capitalism
- Industrialization
- Class system
- Limited government
o Identify how groups of people were affected by the introduction of liberal
principles and values.
Classical Liberalism
- A political belief in which primary emphasis is placed on securing the freedom of the
individual by limiting the power of the state.
- In its economic form, it advocates a respect for private property and free markets.
- Governments role is protect liberty and individual rights of the citizens that elected them
and people can form and dissolve governments as they wish.
- Classical Liberalism was the ideology of the moderate, constitutional monarch phase of
the French Revolution, which promoted limited government and was based on principles
of natural law.
Classical liberal thought on laissez –faire capitalism – They would support laissez faire
capitalism as there is little government involvement, respect for private property, protection of
individual rights, hands off thinking.
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Class System – This would be supported because if there is private property and little
government regulation in the everyday lives of the people then inevitably there is going to be a
division of classes. Although class division did exist pre French revolution, the class system is a
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Industrialization – This would be supported be classical liberal thinkers because of limited
encroachment of individual rights by the government as they was private property in regards to
factory owners, however individual right and liberties were not always recognized by factory
workers as there were long, hours, unsafe working conditions and child labour.
direct result of classical liberal thought in the pursuit of a market economy free of government
regulation.
Limited Government – They would be a supporter of this thought as this is the basis of classical
liberal thought in regards to private property and the state not taking an active role in the
economy, they are there for protection of individual rights.
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Classical Liberalism vs Classical Conservatism
- Classical conservative favoured preserving the status quo.
- The power to lead countries should be in the hands of the powerful elite.
- People are protected from power by tradition. Without tradition power is raw and
extremely dangerous for the masses.
- They are in favour of private property for the ruling elite.
- There is a natural inequality with humans and depending on what social class you were in
you were streamed to ruling elite or working class.
Classical Liberalism vs Marxism
- Classical liberals are opposites of Marxism as Marxism ideology is based on the constant
class struggle, equality, strong role of the government and working for the common good
of the state.
- Marxism does not support the belief of private property where classical liberalism does.
- Private property results in a class system which is in direct opposition to a Marxist
classless society where the proletariat and bourgeoisie would unite to overthrow the
monarchy to form a utopian society.
Classical Liberalism vs Socialism
- Socialism is loosely defined as the abolishment of government and power is placed in the
hands of the working class.
- Socialism strives towards an egalitarian society that promotes the equal distribution of
wealth amongst the masses.
- Socialist thought favours government control, welfare programs, helping others out, a
mix of private and public property.
- The working class must strive to get the political power in their hands as opposed to the
ruling elite.
- Socialism promotes the greater good of the whole and the cooperation of the masses as
opposed to the pursuit of individual right s and liberties in the market place.
Welfare Capitalism
- This is essentially a capitalist economic system with a welfare state or business providing
welfare-like programs for workers.
- With welfare capitalism, companies now began social programs like healthcare, childcare and pension programs.
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Analyze ideologies that developed in response to classical liberalism (classic
conservatism, Marxism, socialism, welfare capitalism)
o Identify the most significant ideological challenges to classical liberal principles
and values that emerged during the 19th century.
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Modern Liberalism
- Modern liberalism supports government intervention and regulation of the economy in
order to provide social programs like Education, healthcare and other welfare programs.
Civil rights and freedom from discrimination are paramount in this ideology.
- Modern liberalism also supports government economic intervention in order to help
protect the economy from the boom/bust cycle that is characteristic of a Free
Market/Mixed Economy.
- Modern liberalism evolved from a group of thinkers in the 20th century namely John
Stuart Mill who made a case against laissez-faire classical liberalism and in favor of state
intervention in social, economic and cultural life.
o If people were living in poverty it made it impossible for freedom and
individuality to flourish.
Labour Standards and Labour Unions
- In contrast, labour unions under modern liberalism are a means of protecting worker
rights such as: wage, length of work and working conditions.
- Labour unions evolved in the early 1800’s following the industrial revolution and aimed
at protecting workers from being exploited by factory owners.
- With labour unions we now have government intervention in the economy as legislation
sets working conditions, minimum wage, child labour laws and other working conditions.
Universal Suffrage
- The definition of universal suffrage is the struggle of adults to vote and have input into
the government in control.
- Under modern liberalism ethnic minorities and females have struggled to achieve this
right to vote that has otherwise been reserved for ‘most’ males.
Welfare State
- Modern liberalism would be a proponent of government run social programs for citizens
that is provided by progressive taxation policies and in general, higher taxes than a true
Free Market Economic system.
- The welfare state in its purest sense evolved following the collapse of the economy
following the Great Depression.
Protection of Human Rights
- Modern Liberalism promotes humanitarian laws that support egalitarianism across race,
ethnicity and sex.
- Government legislation helps to protect human rights in Canada as our elected officials
strive to protect those that may be marginalized within the workplace without the
protection of legislation that helps to guarantee their individual liberties.
Feminism:
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Analyze the evolution of modern liberalism as a response to classical liberalism
- labour standards and unions
- universal suffrage
- welfare state
- protection of human rights
- feminism
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WWI and the Women’s suffrage are probably the two most distinct examples of the
feminist struggle for equality.
Women achieved the right to vote in 1918 and are protected in the modern workplace by
affirmative action policies, sexual harassment policies and equal pay legislation.
The feminist movement still continues today as women continue to struggle to achieve
equality in our contemporary workplace and break through the ‘glass ceiling’.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Evaluate ideological systems that rejected principles of liberalism
- Communism in the Soviet Union
- Fascism in Nazi Germany
Communism
- This ideological principle has its roots under Karl Marx-the father of Communism.
- This principle believes in the equality of people, abolition of private property, equal
distribution of wealth and services and the state before the individual.
- Collectivization is an underlying value of Communism as the state distributes resources
and the allocation of goods to its citizens.
- Lenin was the first political leader to actually implement Communist policies in a society.
- Under Communism the state controls all business and controls the economy in its entirety
while under liberalism the government assists in the regulation of the economy.
- Communism supports economic equality but not political equality.
Fascism
- Fascism is a term often loosely used to describe military dictatorships and extreme rightwing governments and organizations (or individuals) known to be either violently
anticommunist or violently anti-Semitic, or both.
- It is characterized by a hatred for liberalism, socialism, democracy, internationalism and
the parliamentary system; by extreme patriotism and aggressive nationalism, and hostility
to other nations and races; by a glorification of power, violence and war; by dreams of
conquest and expansion; by a hankering after a supposedly glorious past; by paramilitary
associations; by the myth of the "leader" to whom superhuman qualities are attributed;
and by the creation of a convenient scapegoat - usually JEWS - for all social, national and
economic ills.
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How do they compare?
- On a political spectrum the two ideologies would be at opposite ends of the spectrum –
radical and reactionary.
- Economically only key industries in Fascist Germany were under government control
however they would annex private businesses as the need arose during WWII.