Definitions for liberalism
ˈlɪb ər əˌlɪz əm, ˈlɪb rə-lib·er·al·ism

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. liberalismnoun

   a political orientation that favors social progress by reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution

2. liberalismnoun

   an economic theory advocating free competition and a self-regulating market

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. liberalismnoun

   The quality of being liberal.

2. liberalismnoun

   Any political movement founded on the autonomy and personal freedom of the individual, progress and reform, and government by law with the consent of the governed.

3. liberalismnoun

   An economic theory in favour of laissez faire and the free market.

4. Etymology: Circa 1819, from libéralisme circa 1818

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Liberalism

   Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law. Liberals espouse various views depending on their understanding of these principles. However, they generally support private property, market economies, individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), liberal democracy, secularism, rule of law, economic and political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. Liberalism is frequently cited as the dominant ideology of modern times.Liberalism became a distinct movement in the Age of Enlightenment, gaining popularity among Western philosophers and economists. Liberalism sought to replace the norms of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, the divine right of kings and traditional conservatism with representative democracy and the rule of law. Liberals also ended mercantilist policies, royal monopolies and other trade barriers, instead promoting free trade and marketization. Philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct tradition based on the social contract, arguing that each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property, and governments must not violate these rights. While the British liberal tradition has emphasized expanding democracy, French liberalism has emphasized rejecting authoritarianism and is linked to nation-building.Leaders in the British Glorious Revolution of 1688, the American Revolution of 1776 and the French Revolution of 1789 used liberal philosophy to justify the armed overthrow of royal sovereignty. The 19th century saw liberal governments established in Europe and South America, and it was well-established alongside Republicanism in the United States. In Victorian Britain, it was used to critique the political establishment, appealing to science and reason on behalf of the people. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, liberalism in the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East influenced periods of reform such as the Tanzimat and Al-Nahda and the rise of constitutionalism, nationalism and secularism. These changes, along with other factors, helped to create a sense of crisis within Islam, which continues to this day, leading to Islamic revivalism. Before 1920, the main ideological opponents of liberalism were communism, conservatism and socialism, but liberalism then faced major ideological challenges from fascism and Marxism–Leninism as new opponents. During the 20th century, liberal ideas spread even further, especially in Western Europe, as liberal democracies found themselves as the winners in both world wars.Liberals sought and established a constitutional order that prized important individual freedoms, such as freedom of speech and freedom of association; an independent judiciary and public trial by jury; and the abolition of aristocratic privileges. Later waves of modern liberal thought and struggle were strongly influenced by the need to expand civil rights. Liberals have advocated gender and racial equality in their drive to promote civil rights and a global civil rights movement in the 20th century achieved several objectives towards both goals. Other goals often accepted by liberals include universal suffrage and universal access to education. In Europe and North America, the establishment of social liberalism (often called simply liberalism in the United States) became a key component in expanding the welfare state. Today, liberal parties continue to wield power and influence throughout the world. The fundamental elements of contemporary society have liberal roots. The early waves of liberalism popularised economic individualism while expanding constitutional government and parliamentary authority.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. liberalism

   Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty, consent of the governed, and equality before the law. It emphasizes individual rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, free markets, civil rights, democratic societies, secular governments, and international cooperation. Liberals generally believe in a government, to some extent, to correct the unequal distribution of wealth or power in society, while asserting the value of individual freedom and self-expression. However, the extent of government intervention advocated by liberals varies greatly across different countries and political cultures.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Liberalismnoun

   liberal principles; the principles and methods of the liberals in politics or religion; specifically, the principles of the Liberal party

2. Etymology: [Cf. F. libralisme.]

WikidataRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Liberalism

   Liberalism is a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally they support ideas such as free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade, and private property. Liberalism first became a distinct political movement during the Age of Enlightenment, when it became popular among philosophers and economists in the Western world. Liberalism rejected the notions, common at the time, of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and the Divine Right of Kings. The 17th century philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct philosophical tradition. Locke argued that each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property and according to the social contract, governments must not violate these rights. Liberals opposed traditional conservatism and sought to replace absolutism in government with democracy and/or republicanism and the rule of law. The revolutionaries of the American Revolution, segments of the French Revolution, and other liberal revolutionaries from that time used liberal philosophy to justify the armed overthrow of what they saw as tyrannical rule. The nineteenth century saw liberal governments established in nations across Europe, Spanish America, and North America. In this period, the dominant ideological opponent of liberalism was classical conservatism.

Matched Categories

1. • Economic Theory
   • Political Orientation

How to pronounce liberalism?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say liberalism in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of liberalism in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of liberalism in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of liberalism in a Sentence

1. William Gladstone:

   Liberalism is trust of the people, tempered by prudence; conservatism, distrust of people, tempered by fear.

2. Turin Carter:

   It's an air of liberalism that's pushed and perceived mostly because of UW as being progressive in its history, but when you look at the capitol, things are a little different in terms of who's actually running the government.

3. G. K. Chesterton:

   I still believe in liberalism today as much as I ever did, but, oh, there was a happy time when I believed in liberals...

4. George Stanley McGovern:

   To those who charge that liberalism has been tried and found wanting, I answer that the failure is not in the idea, but in the course of recent history. The New Deal was ended by World War II. The New Frontier was closed by Berlin and Cuba almost before it was opened. And the Great Society lost its greatness in the jungles of Indochina.

5. Vladimir Putin:

   I wouldn't throw around this term 'liberalism' about this short period. There was an Imperial Duma functioning in Russia before 1917 for 11 years and not one law could pass through without its approval, a few months under the Russian provisional government does not compare with this.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=liberalism
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Liberalism
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberalism
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=liberalism