Resistance to Liberalism
RUNNING HEAD: RESISTANCE TO LIBERALISM
The Justification of Resisting Liberalism
Liberalism, in general, was an ideological movement that emerged out of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. It embraced the ideas of individualism which were established in the Renaissance and Reformation era. The Renaissance period sparked a belief in the importance of the individual in society. It helped promote the beliefs of classical liberalism which gradually formed into the liberal ideology of the 19th century. Individuals that were waiting to get their individual rights and freedoms were allowed to finally gain liberty and power through this period of time. Classical liberalism developed from the ideologies of individuals such as Locke, Mill and Smith who were concerned with protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. The Industrial Revolution strengthened the ideas of classical liberalism and allowed people to gain economic freedom, self-interest and private property. Classical liberalism transformed British into a society based on agriculture and the landed classes, interventionist government, and humanitarianism into a society based on industry and the middle classes, laissez-faire government and pursuit of industrial efficiency (Fielding, 2009). People flourished with great amount of wealth and power but there were others whose lives had been changed for the worse. Resistance to liberalism is justified to a great extent because it did not affect the lives all people. Liberalism disregarded the rights and civil liberties of the working class, lead to a discrepancy in the economic structure of society, and set its political values merely on the basis of individualism.
To begin with, the main principles of classical liberalism such as economic freedom, protection of civil liberties, rule of law, and individual rights and freedoms were not recognized for all people, especially the working class and this didn’t
The Justification of Resisting Liberalism
Liberalism, in general, was an ideological movement that emerged out of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. It embraced the ideas of individualism which were established in the Renaissance and Reformation era. The Renaissance period sparked a belief in the importance of the individual in society. It helped promote the beliefs of classical liberalism which gradually formed into the liberal ideology of the 19th century. Individuals that were waiting to get their individual rights and freedoms were allowed to finally gain liberty and power through this period of time. Classical liberalism developed from the ideologies of individuals such as Locke, Mill and Smith who were concerned with protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. The Industrial Revolution strengthened the ideas of classical liberalism and allowed people to gain economic freedom, self-interest and private property. Classical liberalism transformed British into a society based on agriculture and the landed classes, interventionist government, and humanitarianism into a society based on industry and the middle classes, laissez-faire government and pursuit of industrial efficiency (Fielding, 2009). People flourished with great amount of wealth and power but there were others whose lives had been changed for the worse. Resistance to liberalism is justified to a great extent because it did not affect the lives all people. Liberalism disregarded the rights and civil liberties of the working class, lead to a discrepancy in the economic structure of society, and set its political values merely on the basis of individualism.
To begin with, the main principles of classical liberalism such as economic freedom, protection of civil liberties, rule of law, and individual rights and freedoms were not recognized for all people, especially the working class and this didn’t
References: Fielding, J., Christison, M., Harding, C., Meston, J., Smith, T., & Zook, D. (2009). Perspectives on Ideology. (1st ed.). Ontario, Canada: Oxford University Press. Classical Liberalism. (2012, May 30). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 30, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism Liberalism and Individualism. (2012, May 31). The Freeman Online. Retrieved May 31, 2012, from http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/liberalism-and-individualism/