discuss the idelogy of liberals
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Liberalism is one of the great political traditions of the Western world and the dominant political ideology in the United States. In this lesson, you'll learn about the history of liberalism, its major tenets and its influence.
Liberalism Defined
Donald is a Democrat and a liberal. His neighbor Rick is a Republican and also adheres to a liberal political philosophy. Confused? That's understandable because the term 'liberal' has come to have a different meaning in U.S. politics compared to its technical meaning in political thought. Let's take a look.
Liberalism is a group of political, social and economic theories that centers on the values of individual liberty, equality, economic freedom, limited and democratic government and the rule of law. Let's take a quick look at each of these values in a bit more detail.
Liberty is a political concept that refers to freedom from undue or oppressive restraints on a person's actions, thoughts or beliefs imposed by the state. Some important liberties in modern liberal states include freedom of speech, press, religion and association. Liberty is constrained by the harm principle, which states that you have liberty as long as you do not harm others.
Liberalism holds that all individuals should have equal treatment before the law regardless of social status, race or sex.
Economic freedom is also closely associated with liberalism and involves support for free markets and private property rights.
A limited and democratic government is also fundamental to liberalism. A limited government is one constrained by the law. For example, the powers of the United States government are limited to the powers enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. A democratic government exists where government is controlled either directly by citizens or through representatives elected by citizens.
Liberalism also holds a commitment to the rule of law, which is essential for a democratic and limited government. The rule of law is a proposition that law should not be arbitrary and must be applied fairly to all.