liberalism

liberalism An ideology that emphasizes the individual and his or her rights to liberty, the origins of which go back to the seventeenth century (e.g. in the writings of John Locke). It became a central political, economic, and social dogma in the industrializing countries during the nineteenth century. Its central tenets have been the freedoms of conscience, speech, and opinion. It has striven for parliamentary, constitutional government and an independent judiciary. In the tradition of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (1776), it has warned against undue state intervention in the economy, the behaviour of which the state should influence only indirectly, through education and encouraging self-help. Perhaps the most crucial problem for liberals has been to define the point at which the state needs to regulate the rights of individuals so that they do not infringe upon each other. From the beginning of the century, liberals have generally moved towards a greater acceptance of the state, recognizing for example its ability to provide a minimum of social welfare as a necessary prerequisite to enable the poor and disadvantaged to realize their full potential. A central paradox of liberalism emerged during the second half of the twentieth century, when in most countries, organized liberal parties declined just as many of their fundamental tenets became generally accepted and realized.