Liberalism was drawn from the age of enlightenment in which many religious restrictions were broken in order for meritocracy to strive which allowed individuals to strive on their own basis. The main party that stands for liberalism within Britain is the Liberal Democrat party which is lead by Nick Clegg however parties such as Labour and the Conservatives have strong relations with Liberalism which is evident through their leadership style and manifesto proposals. One of the most leading styles of modern liberalism that is displayed in British politics at current times is the development of the welfare state which provides people with education and healthcare but also provides benefits for those who are unable to work for various reasons. The welfare state was originally introduced in 1911 as a result of a range of reforms due to investigation in to the living conditions of ordinary British citizens. The national insurance act was enacted by David Lloyd George and the liberal party and it meant that contributions were made to assist those who were unemployed or unable to work.
This shows that Mill saw humans as creative individuals thus leading to an interest of tolerance as a political virtue i.e. political tolerance. The liberals argued that our own freedom depends upon all people enjoying the same freedom. This lead to their view of the state be limited to a minimum number of functions, mainly confined to protecting people from each other, defending the nation and preventing the accumulation of
There were also other key factors such as the ideas of new liberalism, national efficiency, political pragmatism and national security to be taken into consideration of why the government changed its policy. It can be argued that the investigations of Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree results into Britain’s poverty were a significant motivating factor behind social reform in the nineteenth century. It revealed the true and mainly unsuspected levels of poverty which the wealthier classes of Britain were unaware of and was difficult to ignore as it was based on hard scientific data that the Victorians admired greatly and not simply an opinion by leading the government by abandoning its policy and adapting a more interventionist approach. The first investigation was conducted by Charles Booth, originally a Liverpool ship owner but by 1889 a London businessman, who doubted the claims of socialists that a quarter of the population lived in extreme poverty. At first he believed that the level of poverty in Britain was limited and could be dealt with by charity.
All three Revolutions played significant part in what came to be a significantly liberalist Europe, including Industrialisation. This essay will explain just in what way the Revolutions and Industrialisation led to the overall rise of liberal government in Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The French Revolution marks the beginning of the liberal movement taking shape in Europe. Not only was the monarchy in crisis (on the verge of bankruptcy after extreme spending and France’s Involvement in the American Revolution), but the people of France were also victim of poor harvest, the worst of which were in 1775 but were still significantly bad in both 1787 and 1788 (Merriman, 2004). On top of there being a scarcity of resources, the people of France were subject to also having to pay high costs for grain, a staple food in France.
For Woodrow Wilson, only a democratic republic could be a genuine nation-state. Wilson also argued that the nation-state is capable of upholding peace and international order because nation-states would naturally respect the sovereignty of their neighbours. Furthermore, conflict would cause disorder within, so there is an inward motivation as well. This belief in the natural peacefulness of nation-states leads liberal nationalists to the belief that internationalism and nationalism are compatible concepts. Internationalism is the theory or practice of politics based on global cooperation.
What followed throughout the 1820’s was a series liberal minded reforms led by Robinson , Huskinson and Peel , which did seem to change the nature of government .These men have generally been accredited with setting Britain on the road to free trade and Peel as home secretary successfully rationalised the legal system and legalised trade unions .However more recent Historians such as Eric Evans ,Cookson and Gash have persuasively argued that the ‘Liberal Tory’ phase of the Lord Liverpool administration was a natural response to the improved economic circumstance brought about by a more prosperous and confident Britain .Reforms introduced during this period were not new ideas instigated by a more liberal minded party , but those which many Tories had supported since the Pitt administration of the 1780’s .An economic revival simply meant that these ideas could be followed through without the threat of instability .As Historian Gash states, ‘The 1820’s economic recovery gave scope for a policy less driven by fear of revolution ’.In fact many progressive ministers had already served in the administration before 1822 , Robinson had been in government since 1809 and had these fixed views and beliefs prior to the cabinet reshuffle , as did many of his so called reactionary peers .As Eric Evans
He believed in “Life, Liberty, and Property.” One of the main framers that John Locke influenced majorly was a classical liberal and that was Thomas Jefferson. (Stephenson 119) Jefferson once states, “Our liberty depends upon the freedom of the press.” He played a big role in the creation of the Bill of Rights, which are all about equality and being liberal. He was the one who contacted Madison and told him to ratify the constitution because it lacked a bill of rights and the failure to provide for rotation in office. James Madison was the father of the Constitution and drafted the Bill Of Rights, which is all about equality. To make the people feel equally powered with the government and Madison was a liberal.
The Liberals knew they had to find a way of keeping the working class votes. Reform could therefore be seen as a rather selfish, politically advantageous response to political change. Changing attitudes within the party, summed up as New Liberalism were influential in promoting change and the example of Municipal socialism encouraged Liberal politicians towards national reforms is also holds water as a very influential factor. Many Historians still believe that the reforms were introduced due to genuine concern over the poor after Rowntree and Booth’s discoveries. Their discoveries were startling and unsuspected.
The ALP supports a market capitalist economy under a liberal democratic government. Although being Capitalist, the Labor Party still display socialist sentiments in using Government to eliminate exploitation, injustice and other anti-social features of a market economy. Therefore, it is cannot be justified as a socialist party 5. What evidence is there to suggest that the ALP moved towards the centre of the political spectrum while in Federal office during 1983 – 1996? During the 1983-1996 at the ALP, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating were leaders.
While some may argue that other philosophes such as Rousseau or Montesquieu impacted the revolution the most, the enlightened thinker that influenced the French Revolution the most is John Locke. Locke’s influential teachings impacted the revolution not only directly, but indirectly as well. In Declaration of Independence, (U.S. 1776), Mr. Jefferson wrote ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Compare this to John Locke’s “… that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions…” (Locke, The State of Nature) which is also very similar to article two of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, “2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and