Analysis of Liberalism and Democracy Essay - 1069 Words

Analysis of Liberalism and Democracy Liberalism has an ambivalent relationship with democracy, as liberals are against collective power, but support political equality. In the nineteenth century liberals were often opposed to democracy as they saw it as a threat to individual rights - the people are not a single entity but rather a collection of individuals with different opinions and interests, and so it is impossible for every view and opinion to be respected. Since the twentieth century most liberals have come round to the idea of democracy, and support it, but they still have reservations. Liberals defend democracy for a variety of reasons. First of all it ensures public accountability.†¦show more content†¦Leading on from this is the issue of property - according to John Locke, it was crucial that those with property were able to protect their rights against the government. The government has the right to expropriate property through taxation, therefore the owners of property have the right to control who makes up the tax-making body. This idea was summed up in the slogan ‘no taxation without representation’. Also, liberals believe that political participation is important in itself, as it allows personal self-development and political education. Self-development is very important to liberals - modern liberals in particular see freedom as the ability to develop skills, broaden understanding and gain fulfilment. Therefore any kind of self-development is very important. Democracy also allows individuals more control over their own lives - they play an active part in government, and indirectly affect all decisions made over their lives. This self-determination is very significant to liberals, as they believe that freedom is very important, and noone should have power over another individual without some degree of consent - democracy provides this consent, as people are able to choose a representative for themselves. Liberal democracy is based on competition and electoral choice,Show MoreRelatedPolitics is the Manner in Which Society is Organized1767 Words   |  7 Pagesthat is democracy and liberalism, will be discussed. These are not just political systems but they are also a set of rules and theories. Democracy is the branch of politics that has to do with the organisation of society through the collectively binding decision-making of the entire population. Liberalism on the other hand is a philosophy of politics that has to do with the freedom of control and interference from a governmental organisation. The values of equality in liberalism and democracy are twoRead MoreRealism, Liberalism And Constructivism : The Field Of International Relations1379 Words   |  6 Pagesfield of international relations, there are a multitude of theories or schools of thought. All of these theories have a different perspective on how the world operates and how states interact with each other. The more popular theories are realism, liberalism and constructivism. All three theories recognize that the international system is anarchical; there is no overarching power to govern world affairs. Realism is a view of international politics that emphasizes its competitive and conflicting worldviewRead MoreEssay on Ir Theory Article Review-Doyle1103 Words   |  5 PagesDoyle, M. ‘Liberalism and World Politics’, American Political Science Review, 1986, vol. 80(4), pp. 1151-69 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY Article Review 17th October 2011. 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