Liberalism
The word liberal has been used for well over 700 years and has a long standing history in the political and economic arenas. It is derived from the Latin word liber meaning free; not slave, and is commonly associated with the word “liberty” and the overall concept of freedom. Some key liberal philosophers include, John Locke, Adam Smith, and Rousseau. From their works and theories we get classical liberalism, but classical liberalism is certainly not the same as liberalism is used today.
The word liberal has been used for well over 700 years and has a long standing history in the political and economic arenas. It is derived from the Latin word liber meaning free; not slave, and is commonly associated with the word “liberty” and the overall concept of freedom. Some key liberal philosophers include, John Locke, Adam Smith, and Rousseau. From their works and theories we get classical liberalism, but classical liberalism is certainly not the same as liberalism is used today.
The idea that liberty is an essential right of the people has been repeated throughout history in politics. One of the first uses was in Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, which focused on the conflicts between the Plebeian and Patrician classes. The idea of liberty and freedom was thrown out during the middle ages, but made a comeback during the Italian Renaissance. The struggles between the Italian city states and the Papal States continued the fight for liberty and succeeded with having elections, the rule of law, and free enterprise until conquered by outside forces. Other smaller predecessors to liberalism include the Eighty Year’s War, aspects of the Magna Carta, and some medieval Islamic ethics.
John Locke is considered to be one of the most influential contributors to liberal theory. A main idea expressed in all of Locke’s works was the rights of life, liberty, and property. Locke believed that property was created by the application of labor. He also believed that property preceded government and that government cannot “dispose of the estates of the subjects arbitrarily”. Locke strongly believed that human nature was characterized by tolerance and reason and thought that it made men inherently selfish. He was also a firm believer in governmental checks and balances and believed in the right to a revolution. Those ideas and many other Lockean philosophies would play a large role in the writing of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations written in 1776 enunciated the liberal principles of free trade. One of his most notable contributions to classical liberalism is the idea of the invisible hand. The invisible hand is a term describing how self interest and a free market help the economy control itself with no governmental intervention. Also that increased competition and increased supply would lower the cost to its production cost and a small profit giving us the “natural price”. Smith also believed that while human motives were usually greedy and selfish, this benefited the free market and society as a whole anyways. That concept was later adapted by the laissez-faire economists of the 19th century. Meritocracy is the second liberal idea Smith introduced. It is the idea that one can advance simply based on their will to succeed. Smith also believed that because of self-improvement, meritocracy would efficiently move the labor force and lead to a more efficient economy.
The word liberal was used in other contexts prior to being used as a political term or theory. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) the word was first used in 1375 to describe those arts or sciences that were considered worthy of a free man; hence the term liberal arts. It wasn’t until 1490 that we got a meaning that is similar to the political idea of liberal. In 1490 it was used to mean free from restraint, free from speech or action; often in a bad sense. The word continued to fluctuate and change meaning between 1375 and 1801. In 1616 it was even used to describe parts of the body; ample, large, but in 1801 we first saw the traditional usage.
The OED cites that the 1801 usage was, “of political opinions: favorable to constitutional changes and legal or administrative reforms tending in the direction of freedom or democracy. Hence used as the designation of the party holding such opinions, in England or other states; opposed to Conservative”. In 1812 the editors of the Spanish Constitution were the first to use the word in a political sense as a noun. They called themselves Liberales to express their opposition to the absolutist power of the Spanish monarchy. By 1823 the meaning had morphed into religious aspects. It was often applied to a member of a church or religious sect whose opinions were more open minded than those set by the standard of orthodoxy.
Liberal made a political jump for another time between 1877 and 1937. The shift from classical liberalism to “new” or modern liberalism occurred for a variety of reasons. The industrial revolution increased wealth and the economy, but created a number of social problems. Such problems included, pollution, child labor, overcrowding, as well as longer life expectancies, and lower mortality rates. Advanced agricultural techniques created a migration of labor from the rural areas into the cities and for the first time the demand for food rose while the prices plunged. Classical economists believed these problems would work themselves out, but that was not the case. During the 19th century voting was extended to a wider base of the population and citizens often voted for more government intervention with the economy, child labor laws, and social activism as a whole.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is credited with redefining American liberalism and reshaping the Democratic Party as a whole. Faced with the Great Depression in the 1930’s FDR created the New Deal which included programs to help the unemployed, reenergize the economy, and reform the banking systems. Many of these programs are still influential today including the Tennessee Valley Authority, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Social Security. He brought the United States out of isolationism with the involvement in WWII and created new opportunities for African-Americans and women. The creation of the United Nations helped shape the post-war world.
The ideas and philosophies that Roosevelt established in the 1930’s and 40’s are considered the modern liberals ideals. Regulating businesses, limited social welfare, broad racial, sexual, and religious tolerance, and eagerness towards affirmative action are modern ideals of a liberal. Liberals today disagree with the writings of Adam Smith especially that of laissez-faire economics, as that is associated with conservative ideals today. Liberals have gone from smaller government and less involvement to bigger government and more social liberties. In fact the ideas of classical liberalism often go hand in hand with those of modern conservatism.
When the word liberal is spoken today most Americans immediately think of the Democratic Party; the two are almost synonymous. A liberal is still someone who is open minded and embraces new ideas like stated in 1781, but their political philosophies have shifted into a larger government and more involvement. The word will continue to change as politics does, but for now I believe the correct definition of a liberal is someone who favors change and believes in equality for all mankind.
