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GCSE > 9.3 - Liberalism Core Ideas and Principles > Flashcards

9.3 - Liberalism Core Ideas and Principles Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the core ideas of Liberalism?

A
  • Individualism
  • Freedom / Liberty
  • The state (a necessary evil)
  • Rationalism
  • Equality and Social Justice
  • Liberal Democracy
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2
Q

What do Liberals believe about individualism?

A

The preservation of individual rights and freedom are above any claims by the state within society.

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3
Q

What is foundational equality?

A

All individuals are born with natural rights which entitle them to:
* Liberty
* Pursuit of happiness
* Avoidance of pain

Translates to the rule of law where all people are treated equally under the law.

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4
Q

What does modern liberalism argue in counter to classical liberalism in regards to the equality of society?

A
  • Classical liberalism underplays the level of inequality in society.
  • Society is not equal and some individuals have a distinct advantage over other.
  • Negative freedoms practiced by classical liberalism only exacerbates the inequalities rather than addressing them.
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5
Q

What do modern liberals think determine one’s societal position?

A
  • Race
  • Gender
  • Social Class
  • Innate Intelligence
    etc.

These determinants are of great importance as to whether an individual thrived or underachieved in society.

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6
Q

What is egotistical individualism?

A

Individual freedom is associated with a rational sense of self-reliance and self-interest.

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7
Q

What is developmental individualism?

A
  • Individuals must help themselves in order to improve.
  • Classical liberals feel the state should interfere as little as possible in this process.
  • Modern liberals feel the state can assist in an individuals development via intervention. (free education)
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8
Q

What is the classical liberal attitude towards individualism?

A
  • The primary motivation of an individual is egotistical individualism.
  • Freedom of the individual is sacrosanct.
  • The state should be small (maintaining law and order, protecting from invasion) [Sometimes called negative freedom]
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9
Q

What is formal equality?

A
  • Every individual is entitled to equal treatment in society.
  • Equality of opportunity, abolition of artificial social distinctions such as gender inequality.
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10
Q

What is modern liberalism attitude towards individualism?

A
  • Positive freedoms to make society fairer through developmental individualism.
  • The state must offer a ‘hand up’ if every individual is to achieve the goal of self-reliance.
  • Expand state involvement if the needs arise (post WW2)
  • An interventionist state is the only way to ensure human rights of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ are met.
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11
Q

What did Locke think of alternative religions and political views?

A

He focused on respecting them.

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12
Q

How has individual tolerance been extended in the twenty-first century?

A

Towards homosexuals and (possibly) transgendered people.

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13
Q

What is the social contract?

A
  • The government makes itself accountable to people and to operate within the law.
  • The people in turn agree to obey laws and uphold security of the state.
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14
Q

What is limited government?

A
  • A governments should be constrained by strong laws and constraints.
  • Both neo-liberals and classical liberals believe strongly in this form of government.
  • All branches of liberalism support entrenched constitutions and the separation of powers to reinforce limited government.
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15
Q

What is laissez-faire capitalism?

A

The theory that wealth creation and capitalism are enhanced if the state does not interfere with the market for goods, services and labour.

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16
Q

What were early liberals particularly resentful of?

A
  • Authoritarian government.
  • Absolute monarchies.
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17
Q

What did Locke argue as to the link between freedom and law?

A

‘Where there is no law there is no liberty’

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18
Q

What is the role of government according to Locke?

A
  • Protection of man’s right to ‘life, liberty and estate’.
  • The state should mediate between competiting individuals to enforce order, protect property rights and prevent breach of contracts / fraud.
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19
Q

What did early liberals think of absolute monarchies?

A
  • They are illegitimate.
  • The state should be constructed by a social contract in which individuals are governed by consent.
  • Rationalistic proposition that individuals would be willing to enter into a social contract to allow the state to act as a neutral umpire to resolve clashes.
  • The American Revolution proved an excellent example of the social contract with the constitution.
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20
Q

What was Adam Smith’s book?

A

‘the Wealth of Nations’ 1776.

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21
Q

How did J.S. Mill broaden what was meant by freedom?

A
  • Advocation for freedom of speech, thought and religion (unless they pose a threat to others)
  • Individuals should be free from interference even if they harm themselves (harm principle)
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22
Q

What type of society does classical liberalism think exists?

A
  • Atomistic.
  • Individuals collect with their own interests.
  • People should not have to serve a broader ‘public interest’ or ‘common good’.
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23
Q

What did classical liberals think of welfare?

A

Should not be provided by the state as this just makes people dependent on the state.

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24
Q

What moral right did J.S. Mill think the state had?

A

A moral right to educate individuals.

(Start of modern liberalism)

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25
Q

What did T.H. Green think of atomism in classical liberalism?

A

He disagreed, thinking society was organic with a common good and that public interest coincided with individual interests.

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26
Q

What did Green realise about negative freedoms?

A

They are good, but they do not take into account the threat of freedom due to social and material disadvantage within society and the economy.

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27
Q

What did Rawls think should happen to the state?

A
  • It should increase to an ‘enabling’ state.
  • This would ensure an individual’s life chances were not determined by status at birth.
28
Q

Negative Freedom vs Positive Freedom?

A

Negative freedom - The absence of constraint typically used by classical liberals.
‘freedom from’ rather than ‘freedom to’

Positive freedom - The state plays a positive role to assist individuals to achieve dreams.

29
Q

How has liberalism dealt with female rights?

A
  • It has been quite proactive.
  • J.S. Mill’s ‘the Subjection of Women’ - 1869
  • Mary Wollstonecraft as a proponent for modern liberalism
  • Betty Friedan as another proponent in modern liberalism
30
Q

What is a minimal state?

A

A concept that suggests in a free society, the state should be strongly controllled and should have minimal breadth of functions.

31
Q

What is an enabling state?

A

A state that does not necessarily provide for people directly, but creates conditions where people can succeed.

Education provision is an example of this.

32
Q

What type of state do classical liberals want?

A

Minimal state

33
Q

What type of state do modern liberals want?

A

Enabling state

34
Q

What is the traditional liberal position on the state?

A

It is a necessary evil.

Egotistical individualism, laissez-faire approach towards the economy, but never as far as anarchism.

35
Q

What must the state do from a traditional liberal perspective?

A
  • Uphold the rule of law.
  • Protect society from invasion.
  • Therefore, police, army, law and a judiciary are necessary evils.
36
Q

How did monarchs get their power in absolute monarchies?

A

The religious belief of the ‘divine right of kings’, asserted that the sovereign was ordained to rule by God.

37
Q

How should the state be organised?

A
  • Based on rationalism rather than traditionalism.
  • Based on the principle of limited government.
38
Q

How do classical liberals wish to limit government?

A
  • Limiting power
  • Limiting jurisdiction
  • Limiting the electorate
39
Q

How do classical liberals think limiting power will limit government?

A

Power is divided between branches of government.

Legislative government, executive government and judiciary should all be separate so each could act as a check on one another.

40
Q

How do classical liberals think limiting jurisdiction will limit government?

A
  • Individuals should be protected by law from actions that harm individual liberty.
  • The state should operate under the rule of law therefore affording all citizens foundational equality.
41
Q

How do classical liberals think limiting the electorate will limit government?

A
  • Representative democracy as opposed to direct democracy.
  • Only those with a formal education should be permitted to vote.
  • Popular democracy might lead to a ‘tyranny of the majority’.
42
Q

What is equality of opportunity?

A

Inequality is inevitable in a free society.

43
Q

What is keynesianism?

A

The state directly intervenes to stimulate the economy to achieve full employment and economic growth.

44
Q

How should the state promote equality of opportunity according to modern liberals?

A
  • Increasing access to education.
  • Reducing inherited privilege.
45
Q

How should the state organise welfare according to modern liberals?

A

Help those that are unable to defend themselves against deprivation.

46
Q

Why do modern liberals follow Keynesianism?

A

The negative consequences of economic downturn negated individual freedom.

47
Q

What was the Enlightenment?

A

An intellectual movement of the eighteenth century.

48
Q

What united the Enlightened?

A
  • A positive view of human nature.
  • Humans are capable of reason and logic.
  • Individuals are capable of defining their best interests and moral choices.
49
Q

How has classical liberalism been influenced by rationalistic ideas?

A
  • Locke’s ideas of constitutional and representative government proved hugely influential to England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the UK Bill of Rights 1689.
  • the Wealth of Nations believes that capitalism functions best when the state takes a laissez-faire approach.
  • Negative freedom / liberty has been hugely influential to determine the parameters of state intervention.
50
Q

How has modern liberalism been influenced by rationalistic ideas?

A
  • State intervention should assist individual freedom.
  • The state must be enabling as seen with universal education.
  • Keynesian economics was rationalistic.
  • Rawls’ ideas of equality and social justice.
51
Q

What type of equality did liberalism initially focus on?

A

Foundational equality.

52
Q

Give some examples of foundational equality today?

A

-UK Human Rights Act
- US Bill of Rights

53
Q

How has classical liberalism shied away from foundational equality?

A

Very few classical liberals focused on racial and gender inequality.

54
Q

What do modern liberals think of foundational equality?

A

It is not enough to guarantee equality of opportunity.

55
Q

How do modern liberals think we can achieve true social justice?

A
  • A full welfare state.
  • Education, healthcare, minimum wage, welfare provisions.
56
Q

What was the intellectual basis for the post-war welfare in the UK?

A

The Beveridge Report.

57
Q

How did Rawls use logic to find out what type of society individuals would prefer?

A

Using a rationalistic idea of a ‘veil of ignorance’ individuals would choose a society with little inequality.

58
Q

How did Rawls think inequality could be justified in a modern capitalist society?

A

Those who do well should only do so provided it is not at the expense of the least well-off.

Essentially, you can’t prosper at the expense of others.

59
Q

What is a meritocracy?

A

A theory that suggests that while inequality is natural in a free society, those who have more drive and abilities deserve more rewards than those who do not.

60
Q

Who ran most of the governments in the seventeenth century world?

A

Monarchs.

61
Q

What are the six key points of liberal democratic theory?

A
  • Supremacy of the people
  • Consent of the governed as basis of legitimacy
  • Rule of law and peaceful methods of conflict resolution
  • Existance of common good and public interest
  • Individual as rational, moral and active
  • Political equality and equal civil rights for all
62
Q

Why is supremacy of the people a key factor of liberal democractic theory?

A
  • Classical liberals accept the supremacy as a broad concept of the social contract.
  • Modern liberals are insistent that supremacy of the people means all adults should be granted suffrage.
  • The US electoral college remains a filter against the ‘tyranny of the majority’ (NAPOVOINTERCO)
63
Q

Why is the consent of the governed as the basis of legitimacy a key point of liberal democractic theory?

A

Elections provide frequent opportuntiy for the governed to register consent of their government.

64
Q

Why is the rule of law and peaceful methods of conflict resolution a key point of liberal democractic theory?

A

The rule of law is a part of the social contract between governed and governors.

65
Q

Why is the existance of a common good or public interest a key point of liberal democratic theory?

A
  • Classical liberalism disagrees, seeing society as atomistic.
  • The welfare state is an example of the common good for modern liberals.
66
Q

Why is the value of the individual as rational, moral and active a key point in liberal democratic theory?

A

Individuals are able to make their own choices and both strands of liberalism agree with this.

67
Q

Why is political equality and equal civil rights for all a key point of liberal democratic theory?

A

Such rights are necessary under human rights, but is also rationalistic for individuals to be equal to ascertain the principles of society.

GCSE (46 decks)

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