Summary
Summary Comparing Classic and Modern Liberalism, Politics A-level
- Module
- Ideologies
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
This document compares classic and modern liberalism on the topics of Freedom, State, Economics, Society
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Liberalism Plans:To what Extent do Classic and Modern Liberals Disagree over Freedom?
Classic Liberals:
Freedom:
- JSM put forward the idea of negative freedom. Individuals should only e subject ti external
restraint when their actions potentially affect others, not when their actions affect only
themselves.
- Also believe in egoistical individualism. The idea is that individual freedom is associated with
self-interest and self-reliance.
- Negative freedom consists of laws to combat discrimination whereas positive freedom
enables those on limited incomes to lead a more fulfilled and meaningful existence.
State:
- Classic Liberals believe that the state should merely law down the conditions for orderly
existence and leave other issues in the hands of private individuals and businesses
- Support idea of minimal state ‘Nightwatchmen’ State whose role is to maintain social order,
enforce contracts and provide defense against external attack.
- State should not interfere in economic and social life more than is strictly necessary, since
this would risk undermining individual liberty.
- Its role is to maintain a stable framework for trade
- State needs to serve the people and if it gets too big then there is a danger of abuse of
power - social contract - represent the people via elections, regular, fair, one person one,
checks and balances, accountability - state is a servant of the people - can overthrow should
the feel the stats e no longer represents their best interests.
- Both believe in the decentralization of government and protection of civil liberties.
- Law and Order in the night watchman state supports the ‘Harm Principle’, created by John
Stuart Mill, which provides protection of an individual's rights until one infringes on another
individual’s rights and in this instance the state can infringe on citizens’ rights. The ‘Harm
Principle’ created a distinction between actions that were ‘self-regarding’ and those that
were ‘other-regarding’. Mill believed that the state had an entitlement to restrict behaviour
that adversely affected the freedom of others, such as violence.
Economic:
- Believe in largely self-regulating free market economy.
- Laissez Faire- more prosperous
- With GOVT intervention as minimal, the wealth of successful individuals would ‘trickle down’
to the rest of society improving the live of the rest of the population.
- All forms of domestic economic protection such as tariffs had to be taken away to promote
free trade
- Advocates a level of economic freedom that leaves individuals free to invent and produce
new products and processes, create and maintain wealth, and trade freely with others.
- To the classical liberal, the essential goal of government is to facilitate an economy in which
any person is allowed the greatest possible chance to achieve his or her life goals
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