![]() Political foundations of classical liberalismĪlthough classical liberal ideas were not noticeable in European politics until the early 16th century, classical liberalism has a considerable “prehistory” reaching back to the Middle Ages and even earlier. ![]() For additional treatment of liberal political theory, see political philosophy. This article discusses the origins of classical liberalism, its historical instantiations, its contrasts with modern liberalism, and its contemporary revival as neoclassical liberalism or libertarianism. Indeed, according to modern liberalism, the chief task of government is to remove obstacles that prevent individuals from living freely or from fully realizing their potential-obstacles such as poverty, disease, discrimination, and ignorance. Modern liberals, however, have insisted that the powers of government can promote as well as protect the freedom of the individual. Contemporary liberals in the classical tradition-the so-called “neoclassical” liberals, or libertarians-answer that it is. The problem is compounded when one asks whether this is all that government can or should do on behalf of individual freedom. The problem that liberalism in general addresses, then, is that of devising a system that gives government the power necessary to protect individual freedom but also prevents those who govern from abusing that power. All forms of liberalism, however, seek to limit the powers of government, because government itself can pose a threat to individual freedom. They also recognize that a necessary role of government is the provision of public services that private businesses are incapable of performing fairly or efficiently, such as law enforcement, education, health care, national security, and sanitation. ![]() The term classical liberalism may also refer to actual political systems that instantiate classical-liberal principles.īoth classical liberalism, which was first articulated in England in the mid-17th century, and modern liberalism, which was predominant in western Europe, North America, and elsewhere for much of the 20th century, hold that government is necessary to prevent individuals from being harmed by others.
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