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Summary ‘Liberalism and democracy are incompatible’ Analyse and evaluate with reference to the thinkers you have studied (25 marker)
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- Ideologies
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‘Liberalism and democracy are incompatible’ Analyse and evaluate with reference to thethinkers you have studied (25)
John Locke argued that men with property should represent the government, whilst
contrastingly, Mills challenged this view stating that a representative government would lead
to a tyranny of the majority. Both Mills and Locke’s ideas, although contradicting, both ideas
are incompatible with democracy in which promotes the rule of the people. Locke’s view
particularly challenges the ideas of democracy, as society is not made up of only property
owners and men.
Liberalism is compatible with democracy as democracy increases a person’s individualism
which is key in classical liberalism. The idea of democracy coincides with liberalism's right of
expression as, through democracy, individuals can vote for who they would like therefore
promoting individualism as that person is making individual and rational choices. If these
elections are free and fair, this also creates a government by consent. The writings of both
Thomas Hobbes as well as John Locke, outline a government by consent as a central and
key concept in classical liberalism. Democracy can limit state power by being accountable to
the electorate. The concept of a limited government is democratic, however is compatible
with liberalism as the concept of a limited government is crucial to classical liberalism. This
argument highlights that Liberalism and democracy are compatible as many of the ideas of
democracy encourage the ideas of individualism, as well as shares similar interest and ideas
over other factors such as limited governments as well as government by consent.
Democracy is not compatible with liberalism because as Mills argued, a liberal
representative system can lead to a tyranny of the majority. For example, if the majority fairly
voted for a white supremacy government in the United Kingdom, this would create a tyranny
of the majority, as the minority (for example black individuals) would become less liberal due
to inequality. However it can be argued that natural rights as well as constitutionalism would
protect the minority. Liberalism and democracy are incompatible, as Locke’s idea that the
government should only be represented by male property owners would therefore prevent
tyranny of the majority, as these men would only represent the minority of interest. This idea
therefore reduces the idea of democracy. However, it can be argued that a represented
liberal state may be subjected to the same issues as a representative democracy - for
example, problems with a mandate. This example shows that democracy and liberalism are
not compatible due to their conflicting ideas about the minority and the majority.
Democracy and liberalism are compatible, as modern day politics are introducing acts of
social liberalism to promote the quality of life, as well as to create a greater equality. The
ideas of liberalist thinker Mary Wollstonecraft have been applied to modern democracy, as
her novel A Vindication of the Rights paved the way for the suffrage movement as well as
the Representation of the Peoples Act 1918, in which allowed women to vote. Wollstonecraft
had argued Locke’s view that men with property were only allowed to vote, and stated in her
work that liberty could only be applied if women also received the right to vote.
Wollstonecraft’s liberal idea was applied to democracy in 1918, allowing women above thirty
to vote. However, it can be argued that following the events of the First World War, the
United Kingdom had began to evolve into a more equal state anyway as the class barrier
also became less effective, therefore showing the suffragette movement may not have been
due to the works of Wollstonecraft but due to the UK’s evolution; however, although
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