Liberalism- this is where the principle of limited intervention in social relations is implemented.

Liberal content public relations is manifested in the presence of a system of checks on pressure from political authorities, designed to guarantee individual freedom and ensure the protection of the rights of citizens. The basis of the system is private enterprise, organized on market principles.

The combination of liberal and democratic principles of social relations allows us to distinguish a political system called “ liberal democracy " Modern Western political scientists believe that this concept denotes an ideal that has not yet been realized, therefore they propose regimes democratically developed countries denote the term “Western polyarchy” (rule by many). In other political systems it is implemented liberal-authoritarian mode. In principle, we are talking only about a greater or lesser degree of manifestation in all political systems.

Liberalism and neoliberalism

Liberalism emerged as an independent ideological movement (worldview) at the end of the 17th century. thanks to the works of such scientists as J. Locke, III. Montesquieu, J. Mill, A. Smith and others. Fundamental ideas and attitudes classical liberalism were formulated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789 and the French Constitution of 1791. The very concept of “liberalism” entered the socio-political lexicon in early XIX V. In the Spanish parliament (Cortes), “liberals” were the name given to a group of nationalist legate deputies. Liberalism as an ideology was finally formed by mid-19th V.

The basis of liberal ideology is the concept of the priority of personal rights and freedoms over all others (society, state). At the same time, of all the freedoms, preference is given to economic freedoms (freedom of entrepreneurship, priority of private property).

The fundamental features of liberalism are:

• individual freedom;
• respect and observance of human rights;
• freedom of private ownership and entrepreneurship;
• priority of equality of opportunity over social equality;
• legal equality of citizens;
• contractual system of state education (separation of the state from civil society);
• separation of powers, the idea of ​​free elections of all institutions of power;
• non-interference of the state in private life.

However, following the classical model of liberal ideology led to the polarization of society. Unlimited liberalism in economics and politics did not ensure social harmony and justice. Free, unrestricted competition contributed to the absorption of weaker competitors by stronger competitors. Monopolies dominated all sectors of the economy. A similar situation developed in politics. The ideas of liberalism began to experience a crisis. Some researchers even began to talk about the “decline” of liberal ideas.

As a result of lengthy discussions and theoretical searches in the first half of the 20th century. certain basic principles classical liberalism and developed an updated concept of “social liberalism” - neoliberalism.

The neoliberal program was based on ideas such as:

• consensus between managers and managed;
• the need for mass participation in the political process;
• democratization of the procedure for making political decisions (the principle of “political justice”);
• limited government regulation of economic and social spheres;
• state restrictions on the activities of monopolies;
• guarantees of certain (limited) social rights (the right to work, to education, to benefits in old age, etc.).

In addition, neoliberalism involves protecting the individual from abuse and negative consequences market system.

The core values ​​of neoliberalism were borrowed by other ideological movements. It is attractive because it serves as the ideological basis for the legal equality of individuals and the rule of law.

Introduction

Relevance of the problem. The state is the main institution; it organizes, directs and controls joint activities and the relations of people, social groups, classes and associations. The state represents a form of organization of political power in society.

Today they talk and write a lot about the crisis democratic state. The famous French political thinker R. Aron writes in his book “Democracy and Totalitarianism”: “One can dream of an ideal constitutional regime without any imperfections, but one cannot imagine that all political figures simultaneously care about the private interests that they represent.” , and about the interests of the community as a whole, which they are obliged to serve; It is impossible to imagine a regime where the competition of ideas is free, and the press is impartial, where all citizens are aware of the need for mutual support in any conflicts” Aron R. Democracy and totalitarianism. - M.: Foundation " Open Society", 1993. - P. 131..

Many experts state the fact that the current crisis of democracy has several manifestations. This is a crisis of statehood, a crisis of forms of participation and political activity, a crisis of citizenship. The famous American political scientist S. Lipset notes: Americans' trust in the authorities and in all government institutions in the United States is steadily declining. Mushinsky V. ABC of Politics. - M.: Avangard, 2002. - P. 54..

As for Russia, the formula for the crisis state of democracy, defined by R. Aron as “not yet,” is quite applicable to it. Indeed, in Russia there are no deep roots of democracy (people's power), not to mention liberal (constitutional) democracy, i.e. the power of the people, respecting the rights of every person. Today in Russia there is a contradictory situation. On the one hand, it can be argued that democracy has taken quite deep roots in Russia. At the same time, many studies indicate that in Russia the alienation of citizens from politics and, above all, from power is growing. They are still to an immeasurably greater extent the object of politics than its subject. About urgent needs ordinary people those aspiring to power hear only during election campaigns, but, having entered power, they immediately forget about them and their needs. The responsibility of the authorities for the results of their leadership and management of society is less than ever.

The purpose of the work is an analysis of the relationship between a liberal and a democratic state. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

· study the features of a liberal state, its characteristics;

· consider the features of a democratic state, its basic principles;

· identify similarities and differences between liberalism and democracy.

The concept of a liberal state, its characteristics

The liberal (semi-democratic) regime was characteristic of developed countries in the 19th century. In the 20th century it has developed in a number of developing countries that have approached developed ones ( South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand), as well as as a result of the elimination of the command-administrative system in post-socialist countries of Eastern Europe(Russia, Bulgaria, Romania).

The significance of the liberal regime is such that some scientists believe: the liberal regime is not actually a regime for the exercise of power, but a condition for the existence of civilization itself at a certain stage of its development, even the final result, which ends the entire evolution of the political organization of society, the most effective form of such an organization. But it is difficult to agree with the last statement, since at present time is running the evolution of political regimes and even such a form as the liberal democratic regime. New trends in the development of civilization, human desire to escape from environmental, nuclear and other disasters give rise to new forms of definition state power, for example, the role of the UN is increasing, international rapid reaction forces are emerging, contradictions between human rights and the rights of nations, peoples, etc. are growing. Theory of State and Law / Ed. A.V. Vengerova. - M.: Infra-N, 1999. - P. 159.

In the theory of state and law, political methods and methods of exercising power that are based on a system of the most democratic and humanistic principles are also called liberal. These principles primarily characterize the economic sphere of relations between the individual and the state. Under a liberal regime in this area, a person has property, rights and freedoms, is economically independent and on this basis becomes politically independent. In relation to the individual and the state, priority remains with the individual, etc.

The liberal regime defends the value of individualism, contrasting it with collectivist principles in the organization of political and economic life, which, according to a number of scientists, ultimately lead to totalitarian forms of government. The liberal regime is determined, first of all, by the needs of the commodity-money, market organization of the economy. The market requires equal, free, independent partners. A liberal state proclaims the formal equality of all citizens. In a liberal society, freedom of speech, opinions, forms of ownership is proclaimed, and space is given to private initiative. Individual rights and freedoms are not only enshrined in the constitution, but also become enforceable in practice.

Thus, private property remains the economic basis of liberalism. The state frees producers from its tutelage and does not interfere in the economic life of people, but only establishes the general framework of free competition between producers and the conditions of economic life. It also acts as an arbiter in resolving disputes between them. In the later stages of liberalism, legitimate government intervention in economic and social processes acquires a socially oriented character, which is determined by many factors: the need to rationally distribute economic resources, decide ecological problems, participate in the peaceful division of labor, preventing international conflicts, etc. Theory of State and Law / Ed. A.V. Vengerova. - M.: Infra-N, 1999. - P. 160.

A liberal regime allows the existence of an opposition; moreover, under liberalism, the state takes all measures to ensure the existence of an opposition that represents interests, and creates special procedures for taking into account these interests. Pluralism, and above all, multi-party system, are necessary attributes of a liberal society. In addition, under a liberal political regime, there are many associations, public organizations, corporations, sections, clubs that unite people by interests. Organizations are emerging that allow citizens to express their political, professional, religious, social, everyday, local, national interests and needs. These associations form the foundation of civil society and do not leave the citizen face to face with government authorities, which are usually inclined to impose their decisions and even abuse their capabilities.

Under liberalism, state power is formed through elections, the outcome of which depends not only on the opinion of the people, but also on financial opportunities certain parties necessary to carry out election campaigns. Public administration is carried out on the basis of the principle of separation of powers. A system of checks and balances helps reduce opportunities for abuse of power. Government decisions are made by majority vote. Decentralization is used in public administration: central government takes upon itself to resolve only those issues that it cannot resolve local authority Tsygankov A.P. Modern political regimes. - M.: Open Society Foundation, 1995. - P. 153..

Of course, one should not apologize the liberal regime, since it also has its own problems, the main ones being social protection certain categories of citizens, stratification of society, actual inequality of starting opportunities, etc. The most effective use of this regime becomes possible only in a society that differs high level economic and social development. The population must have a sufficiently high political, intellectual and moral consciousness, legal culture. At the same time, it should be noted that liberalism today is the most attractive and desirable political regime for many states. A liberal regime can only exist if democratic basis, it grows out of the democratic regime itself.

More often than in a democratic regime, the state has to resort to various forms coercive influence, because the social base of the ruling elite is quite narrow. The low standard of living of numerous sections of society gives rise to marginality and a tendency to resort to violent actions to achieve their social goals. Therefore, democratic institutions, including the legal opposition, function as if on the surface public life, only weakly penetrating into the depths of society.

A liberal state is characterized by such specific signs Kudryavtsev Yu.A. Political regime: classification criteria and main types // Jurisprudence. - 2002. - No. 1. - P. 199.:

· formalism of the law and formal equality of rights; a liberal state is a formal legal state that does not recognize social and other differences between citizens;

· a priority individual rights and freedoms of citizens, non-interference in their private affairs, in the right of property and social relations. There is still no law limiting working hours in England;

· limiting multi-party system to old (“traditional”) parties. Exclusion of new parties from participation in power. Liberal states of the interwar period prohibited the activities of communist and sometimes social democratic parties, as well as the propaganda of the ideas of socialism in the press. These measures were taken in accordance with laws protecting the constitutional order from propaganda for its violent overthrow. In many cases it was about limiting democracy;

· government of a parliamentary majority and the absence of a strong counterbalance.

The ideology of the liberal state can be briefly summarized in two famous expressions. One thing that does not have an exact translation from French into Russian is laissez faire, which roughly means: do not interfere with an individual from going about his business. The second is very short: “The State is the Night Watchman” by A.P. Butenko. The state: its yesterday’s and today’s interpretations // State and law. - 1993. - No. 7. - P. 97..

The theoretical core of liberalism consists of: 1) the doctrine of the “state of nature”; 2) the theory of “social contract”; 3) the theory of “people's sovereignty”; 4) inalienable human rights (life, freedom, property, resistance to oppression, etc.).

The basic principles of liberalism are: absolute value; personality and its commitment to freedom, expressed in human rights; the principle of individual freedom as social: benefits, i.e. benefits; for the whole society; law as a sphere of realization of freedom, balancing the rights of an individual and other people, as a guarantee of security; the rule of law rather than people, the reduction of issues of power to issues of law; separation of powers As a condition for the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, subordination of political power to the judiciary; the rule of law as an instrument of social control; priority of human rights over state rights.

The main value of liberalism is freedom. Freedom is a value in all ideological doctrines, only the interpretation of freedom as a value modern civilization they differ significantly. Freedom in liberalism is a phenomenon from the economic sphere: by freedom, liberals initially understood the liberation of the individual from medieval dependence on the state and guilds. IN; In politics, the requirement of freedom meant the right to act according to one’s own will, and, above all, the right to fully enjoy inalienable human rights, limited only by the freedom of other people. Once the liberals’ focus was on such a limiter of freedom as other people with equal rights, it followed that the idea of ​​freedom was supplemented by the requirement of equality (equality as a requirement, but not an empirical fact).

The development of liberal principles is reflected in the diverse theories created by convinced supporters of liberalism. For example, the principle of individual freedom as a social benefit is reflected in the theories of the free market, religious tolerance, etc. The above-mentioned liberal principles of interpretation of the law are expressed in the theories of constitutional law, the rule of law, etc. And the principle of the priority of human rights over state rights state was developed in the theory of the “night watchman state”, according to which it is necessary to limit the volume and scope; the activities of the state in protecting human rights, his life, property, inaction; negative freedom (“freedom from” - from oppression, exploitation, etc.); abstract freedom - like human freedom in general. any person; individual freedom: the most important type of freedom is freedom of enterprise.

Despite the presence of common liberal values ​​and principles in Western classical liberalism of the 17th-18th centuries. serious disagreements emerged in the interpretation of the list and hierarchy of inalienable human rights, including on the issue of their guarantees and forms of implementation. As a result, two currents arose: the bourgeois-elite, defending the interests and rights of owners and demanding non-interference of the state in socio-economic relations, and the democratic, which believes that since rights should be extended to everyone, the state needs to create conditions for this. Before late XIX V. liberalism was dominated by the first direction, based on their understanding of private property as an inalienable human right and defending the idea that political rights should be granted only to owners who will conscientiously manage the national wealth of the country and adopt reasonable laws, because they -the results of your political activity they have something to answer for: their property. The Manchester School of Classical Liberalism was the first half of the 19th century V. with its preaching of market determinism or the social Darwinist school of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, the founder of which was G. Spencer, are typical examples of this direction. In the USA, followers of these views maintained their positions until the 30s.

The democratic trend in liberalism was developed by B. Franklin and T. Jefferson in the USA. Fighting for the realization of the “American dream”, the liberal democratic government of the United States in the 60s. XIX century under President A. Lincoln, approved an act on the right of every American over 21 years of age to acquire full ownership of 64 grams of land from the state fund, which marked the beginning of the success of the farmer's path in agricultural production. The democratic direction strengthened its position and became the dominant form of liberalism in turn of XIX--XX centuries During this period, it conducted an active dialogue with socialism and borrowed a number of important ideas from the latter. The democratic trend came out under the name of “social liberalism”.

For example, M. Weber spoke from the position of social liberalism. Among the political figures who shared the beliefs of social liberalism were D. Lloyd George, W. Wilson, and T. Roosevelt. Social liberalism achieved particular success in the field of practical politics in the 30s and 40s, which coincided with the “New Deal” policy in the United States, developed back in the 20s. D. Keynes as a theoretical model and implemented by F.D. Roosevelt. The model of “neo-capitalism”, developed in the USA, was proposed and successfully used in the conditions of post-war devastation in Western Europe to restore the liberal democratic foundations of life. In the second half of the 20th century. social liberalism has become firmly dominant in the liberal tradition, so when someone calls himself a liberal today, one must think that he shares not the views of two hundred years ago, but the views of the modern type of liberalism. Their essence is as follows: Grachev M.N. Democracy: research methods, perspective analysis. - M.: VLADOS, 2004. - P. 34..

1. Private property has a private-public nature, since not only owners participate in its creation, multiplication, and protection.

2. The state has the right to regulate private property relations. In this regard, an important place in liberal theory is occupied by the problem of state manipulation of the production and market mechanism of supply and demand and the concept of planning.

3. The liberal theory of industrial democracy develops the idea of ​​worker participation in management (in production, supervisory boards are created to monitor the activities of the administration with the participation of workers).

4. The classical liberal theory of the state as a “night watchman” has been replaced by the concept of the “welfare state”: every member of society is entitled to a living wage; public policy should promote economic stability and prevent social disruption; One of the highest goals of public policy is full employment.

In the 20th century the majority of people are hired workers, to reduce the painful consequences of their economic dependence and helplessness in the face of the modern economy.

An important place in modern liberalism belongs to the concept of social justice, built on the principles of rewarding the individual for enterprise and talent, and at the same time taking into account the need to redistribute social wealth in the interests of the least protected groups.

Liberalism

In its emergence and development, liberalism went through two stages:

1_17-19 century: classical liberalism

2_from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day: neoliberalism or social liberalism

The founding fathers of liberal ideology are considered to be John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau (“On the Social Contract”), John Stuart Mill (“On Liberty”), Thomas Paine (“Rights of Man”, “Common Sense”). The ideology of liberalism is the ideology of new times, when the Middle Ages and feudalism are becoming a thing of the past and capitalism is developing. The main ideas of classical liberalism:

1_Recognition of man as the highest value. Liberalism is the ideology of individualism.

2_Recognition of the equality of all people and recognition of natural, inalienable rights acquired by birth (basic: the right to life, property, freedom).

3_Recognition of freedom as the highest of the values ​​that a person possesses. At the same time, a person is responsible for his actions. The unity of freedom and responsibility is one of the cornerstones of liberalist ideology.

4_Rule of law. Only the law can limit human freedom.

5_Anti-statism - the state as minimized as possible.

6_Moral and religious tolerance.

7_Relations between society and the state are in the nature of a contract.

8_Faith in social progress.

9_Recognition of free competition, free private enterprise and the market as natural regulators of economic and social relations.

Statism is the active intervention of the state in the economic and political life countries.

Liberals faced a number of problems: equality of people, free enterprise and the market can regulate a lot, but not everything; other regulators are required, the consequence of which was the increase in the state and its role.

Neoliberalism

Over time, a number of provisions of classical liberalism were revised and neoliberal ideas were mainly formulated after the Second World War.

In 1947, the Liberal International was created, which united more than 20 parties. Now all European countries are present in it.

Theorists of neoliberalism are: Hayek, Bell, Toffler, Aron.

The main ideas of neoliberalism:

1_Increasing production efficiency based on high technology

2_The main tool is to encourage freedom of private property and entrepreneurship.

3_The state must reduce its direct participation in the economy.

4_Own social functions the state should limit itself to caring for those employed in post-industrial production, that is, it should only care about the well-being of the two-thirds of society who create the country’s wealth.

5_Internationalization of the economy, development and implementation of regional and global integration programs.

6_Taking care of the favorable natural environment, development of environmental programs, solving global problems.

The essence of the basic ideas of social democracy

The main ideas of democratic socialism are set out in the Declaration of Principles of the Socialist International (1989)

Interdependence of society and individual

Political democracy:

Parliamentarism

Multi-party system

Recognition of the opposition

Right to dissent

Orientation towards non-violent evolutionary development

Economic democracy, mixed economy

Socio-political organizations and movements, their typology and functions

Socio-political organizations and movements are voluntary formations that arose as a result of the free expression of the will of citizens united on the basis of common interests and goals.

Parties are also included in this group, but they stand out strongly. Only they set a clear goal of achieving power, using power. Only parties have a rigid structure and a clear scheme for achieving power. Other public organizations less politicized.

Unlike parties, these movements and organizations they don't put it The goal is to seize state power. The number of socio-political organizations and movements greatly exceeds the number of parties.

Typology of socio-political organizations and movements

By field of activity:

1_RSPP – Russian Union industrialists and entrepreneurs

2_trade unions

3_sports unions

4_creative unions and associations

5_human rights organizations

6_ecological movements, etc.

By degree and form of organization:

1_natural

2_poorly organized

3_s high degree organizations

By lifetime:

1_short-term

2_long-term

Polish sociologist and political scientist Evgeniy Vyatr believes that almost all socio-political organizations and movements go through a number of stages in their development:

1_Creating the prerequisites for movement. Real problems and contradictions become the basis for discussion and the emergence of active individuals offering solutions to these problems. A common vision of the problem is developed.

2_Development of ideological and organizational foundations. The movement forms a clear position, creates a program, holds organizational congresses or speeches by movement leaders in the press or television.

3_Stage of agitation. For any organization, mass participation is the key to success.

4_Stage of extensive political activity. The work of the party itself begins. This stage depends on the goals set. If the goals are achievable, the stage may not last long; if the goals are unattainable or difficult to achieve, the stage may last for a very long time.

5_Motion decay stage. A movement or organization may cease to exist when the stated goal is fulfilled or turns out to be false/unattainable; under pressure from the authorities; when there is no means to continue the fight, etc.

IN Lately(20-30 years) in many countries of the world, the so-called alternative movements (AM) are most widespread. These are new social movements, seeking to find original solutions to global and some other current problems: distribution nuclear weapons, resources, ecology, war and peace, quality of life. The leaders of these movements claim that the old political structures ineffective and unable to solve global problems.

These movements are unpopular in Russia and popular in Europe. Alternative movements involve people who, as a rule, do not have economic difficulties. Age – from 18 to 35 years old, city dwellers, representatives of the middle class, schoolchildren and students. The level of education is high.

The most active and organized alternative movements:

1_Ecological (Greenpeace, World Fund wildlife and etc.).

2_Anti-war and anti-nuclear.

3_Civil rights movement.

4_Organizations of supporters of alternative lifestyles.

5_Feminist.

6_Movement of pensioners.

7_Consumer.

Subsidiary movements can be extremist, for example, the environmental movement Peta.

Party systems

In its functioning within political system Depending on the nature and number of parties, all parties in a given country form the so-called party system.

It is customary to highlight:

1) One-party systems

2) Bipartisan

3) Multi-party

1e are considered an anachronism and are less common than others (China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam). Party and government bodies are merging. First of all – the party and the executive branch.

Much depends on the requirements that are presented to a party in order for them to be considered parties of a social scale. Some of the most stringent requirements are in the Russian Federation.

The party must meet the following requirements:

1) Composition – at least 50,000 people

2) Must have regional branches in more than half of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation

3) More than half of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation must have regional branches of at least 500 people

2nd. Valid in countries where there are several parties (approx. 20). However, only 2 parties have a real opportunity to win the parliamentary elections and come to power.

The 2 most influential parties replace each other in power (classically represented in the USA - Democrats and Republicans). Some countries have a modified 2-party system (2+1, 2.5) - such a system has developed in Germany - XDC | XCC, SPD. The Free Democrats Party is the role of a pendulum. Approximately the same system exists in the UK.

Analysts note that such a system has clear advantages:

1) Convenience of choice for voters

2) The system contributes to the gradual softening of ideological conflicts between parties and their transition to more moderate positions

3) Allows us to get closer to the ideal of “responsible government”: one is in power, the other is in opposition.

If voters are dissatisfied with the government, they vote for the opposition party in parliamentary elections.

3rd. A multi-party system operates where the country has several fairly large and influential parties, each of which gains a significant number of votes in parliamentary elections. (Italy, Finland, Greece).

Under such a system, there can be up to 10 parties in parliament. There would be even more of them if the so-called “electoral threshold/barrier” was not established. As a rule, it is 5%. In the Russian Federation before the 2007 elections. Was 5% - now – 7%

In a multi-party system, parties in elections are often united into voting blocs. In the Russian Federation, such blocks could be created until 2007. This is prohibited under the new law.

" and "liberal" come from the Latin liberalis and literally mean "having to freedom." When we talk about a liberal as a supporter of a socio-political movement, it is assumed that this person stands on a platform that welcomes the deepening and development of political freedoms in the broadest sense of the word. As a rule, liberal ideology unites supporters of democratic parliamentarism, as well as those who stand for freedom of private enterprise.

In everyday life, the label “liberal” is most often given to those who show unnecessary and inappropriate tolerance for other people’s behavior that violates generally accepted norms and rules. It is believed, for example, that excess in the upbringing of the younger generation negatively affects the development of a teenager’s personality. Often the public is asked to put an end to liberalism in relation to criminals and malicious violators of social norms.

in politics

Who can be classified as liberal in the field of activity? We are talking about public figures who support and fully approve of the idea of ​​​​limiting any interference government agencies into social relationships. The main principles of the liberal value system were formed at a time when bourgeois relations based on free enterprise arose and strengthened in society.

A liberal considers personal, economic and political freedom to be the highest priority in social and political life. Rights and freedoms for a liberal become a certain basis and starting point for the formation political position. According to liberal politicians, it is the free development of any social that makes it possible to build a truly democratic state.

The ideal of many Western politicians becomes a liberal democracy. However, today there is little left in it of the former free-thinking and freethinking. The main emphasis of Western liberals is not so much on expanding the actual freedoms of citizens, but on removing restrictions that hinder the development of the private sector. Political scientists and sociologists note that Western traditions are penetrating more and more deeply into the economy, politics and culture of developing countries.

A few years ago All-Russian Center studying public opinion, conducted a survey of the population, the main question of which was: “What is liberalism, and who is a liberal?” Most of the participants this question confused, 56% could not give a comprehensive answer. The survey was conducted in 2012; most likely, today the situation is unlikely to have changed for the better. Therefore, now in this article we will briefly consider the concept of liberalism and all its main aspects for the education of the Russian audience.

About the concept

There are several definitions that describe the concept of this ideology. Liberalism is:

• political movement or ideology that unites fans of democracy and parliamentarism;
• a worldview that is characteristic of industrialists who defend their rights of a political nature, as well as entrepreneurial freedom;
• incorporating philosophical and political ideas a theory that appeared in Western Europe in the 18th century;
• the first meaning of the concept was freethinking;
• tolerance and tolerance of unacceptable behavior.

All these definitions can be safely attributed to liberalism, but the main thing is that this term denotes an ideology that affects the structure and states. WITH In Latin, liberalism is translated as freedom. Are all the functions and aspects of this movement really built on freedom?

Freedom or restriction

The liberal movement includes such key concepts as public good, individual freedom and equality of people within the framework of policy and . What liberal values ​​does this ideology promote?

1. The common good. If the state protects the rights and freedom of the individual, and also protects the people from various threats and monitors compliance with the laws, then such a structure of society can be called reasonable.
2. Equality. Many people shout that all people are equal, although it is obvious that this is absolutely not the case. We differ from each other in different aspects: intelligence, social status, physical characteristics, nationality and so on. But liberals mean equality of human opportunity. If a person wants to achieve something in life, no one has the right to interfere with this on the basis of race, social status or other factors . The principle is that if you put in the effort, you will achieve more.
3. Natural rights. British thinkers Locke and Hobbes came up with the idea that a person has three rights from birth: to life, to property and to happiness. It will not be difficult for many to interpret this: no one has the right to take a person’s life (only the state for certain offenses), property is considered as a personal right to own something, and the right to happiness is that same freedom of choice.

Important! What is liberalization? There is also a concept that means the expansion of civil liberties and rights within the framework of economic, political, cultural and social life, is also a process when the economy gets rid of the influence of the state.

Principles of liberal ideology:

• there is nothing more valuable than human life;
• all people in this world are equal;
• everyone has their inalienable rights;
• the individual and his needs are more valuable than society as a whole;
• the state arises by common consent;
• people form laws and state values ​​independently;
• the state is responsible to the individual, and the individual, in turn, is responsible to the state;
• power must be divided, the principle of organizing life in the state on the basis of the constitution;
• only in fair elections can a government be elected;
• humanistic ideals.

These principles of liberalism formulated in the 18th century English philosophers and thinkers. Many of them never came to fruition. Most of them are similar to the utopia that humanity so passionately strives for, but cannot achieve.

Important! Liberal ideology could be a lifeline for many countries, but there will always be some pitfalls that hinder development.

Founders of the ideology

What is liberalism? At that time, each thinker understood it in his own way. This ideology absorbed completely different ideas and opinions of thinkers of that time.

It is clear that some of the concepts may contradict each other, but the essence remains the same.

The founders of liberalism can be considered the English scientists J. Locke and T. Hobbes (18th century) along with French writer era of the Enlightenment by Charles Montesquieu, who was the first to think and express his opinion about human freedom in all spheres of his activity.

Locke gave birth to legal liberalism and stated that only in a society in which all citizens are free can there be stability.

The original theory of liberalism

The followers of classical liberalism gave greater preference and paid more attention to the “individual freedom” of man. The concept of this concept is expressed in the fact that the individual should not submit to either society or social orders. Independence and equality- these are the main stages on which the entire liberal ideology stood. The word “freedom” then meant the absence of various prohibitions, limits or vetoes on the implementation of actions by an individual, taking into account the generally accepted rules and laws of the state. That is, that freedom that would not go against established dogmas.

As the founders of the liberal movement believed, the government should guarantee equality between all its citizens, but people had to take care of their financial situation and status on their own. Limiting the scope of government power was what liberalism in turn tried to achieve. According to theory, the only thing the state had to provide for its citizens was security and order protection. That is, the liberals tried to influence the reduction of all its functions to a minimum. The existence of society and power could only be subject to their general subordination to laws within the state.

The fact that classical liberalism would still exist became clear when a terrible economic crisis arose in the United States in 1929. Its consequences were tens of thousands of bankrupt banks, the death of many people from hunger and other horrors of the economic decline of the state.

Economic liberalism

The main concept of this movement was the idea of ​​equality between economic laws and natural. Government interference in these laws was prohibited. Adam Smith is the founder of this movement and its basic principles:

• for a push economic development personal interest is required;
• government regulation and the existence of monopolies harm the economy;
• economic growth must be promoted quietly. That is, the government should not interfere in the process of the emergence of new institutions. Businesses and suppliers operating in the interests of profit and within the market system are quietly guided by an "invisible hand." All this is the key to competently meeting the needs of society.

Neoliberalism

This direction was formed in the 19th century and implies a new trend in, which consists of complete non-interference by the government in trade relations between its subjects.

The main principles of neoliberalism are constitutionalism and equality between all members of society in the country.

Signs of this trend: the government should promote self-regulation of the economy in the market, and the process of financial redistribution should primarily take into account the low-income segments of the population.

Neoliberalism does not oppose government regulation of the economy, while classical liberalism denies this. But the regulatory process should include only the free market and the competitiveness of subjects to ensure economic growth along with social justice. main idea neoliberalism – support for foreign trade policy and internal trade to increase the gross income of the state, that is, protectionism.

All political concepts and philosophical movements have their own characteristics, and neoliberalism is no exception:

• the need for government intervention in the economy. The market must be protected from the possible emergence of monopolies, and a competitive environment and freedom ensured;
• protection of principles and justice. All citizens must be involved in political processes to maintain the desired democratic “weather”;
• government should maintain existence various economic programs, related to financial support social classes with low income.

Briefly about liberalism

Why is the concept of liberalism distorted in Russia?

Conclusion

Now the question is: “What is liberalism?” will no longer cause dissonance among respondents. After all, the understanding of freedom and equality is simply presented under other terms, which have their own principles and concepts that affect different spheres of the state structure, but remain unchanged in one thing - only then will the state prosper when it ceases to limit its citizens in many ways.