My Revision Notes: Edexcel A-level Politics: Political Ideas
Liberalism Revision Guide Extra Knowledge. Proving further in depth examples and analysis for Edexcel politics paper 1 core ideologies essay question. Including extra impactful thinkers and futher development of the different strands of the ideology to help access the 20+ marks.
- Distinguished between ‘self regarding’ and ‘other regarding’ actions
- Other regarding actions should not be subject to any restriction ever
- Self regarding actions should be restricted if they may cause harm to others and this
restriction could/should come from the state
- These ideas encouraged a strong belief in tolerance of the views and actions
of others
- The government should interfere as little as practicable in society, especially
with economic activity
New Liberalism (not to be confused with modern/contemporary liberalism)
Followers of T.H Green including Hobhouse 1864-1929 and Hobson 1854-1940 further
expanded the transitory thoughts of Green suggesting that:
- equality should not just be foundational but also extend to equality of economic and
social treatment
- The state should play a more positive role in promoting social justice and reducing
stark benefits to those with inherited privilege
Foundational Equality is a fundamental liberal belief that all individuals are born with
natural rights that entitle them to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and avoidance of pain
and the entitlement to private property. This is often translated into the rule of law.
Inspiration for limited government with separation of powers also came from the
enlightenment and thinker Baron de Montesquieu
Despite favouring laissez-faire capitalism and meritocracy Samuel Smiles 1812-1904 and
Herbet Spencer maintained that included in the limited functions of the state it should also
control excessive monopoly power
Smiles and Spencer, as classical liberals, also believed that in general individuals succeed
or fail owing to their own efforts and that their position in society is in their own hands
∴ the state should not intervene allow people to become dependent on welfare
and this anti-welfare attitude would give way to a more dynamic society
Welfare Liberalism
- It was not only the state and legislation that limited freedom but also adverse social
and economic conditions - developed in the Beveridge Report in 1942
- The state was justified in providing welfare in order to alleviate curtailment:
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