Absolutism And Conservatism

Liberalism is considered the dominant ideology in the 21st century; its primary focus is liberty, personal freedom, equality, and justice. However interpretations of freedom have divided the ideology into two, seemingly separate, strains: classical liberalism, or laissez-faire liberalism and welfare, or social liberalism. While both hold freedom to the highest degree, they are sharply divided over what that means and the role of the government in society. This essay will argue that classical and welfare liberals disagree on the definition of personal freedom, and that welfare liberals have the better case as their argument is closer to the original ideals of liberalism.

Liberalism is what is considered “good society” which is based on the

Thomas Hobbes, wrote in his book Leviathan in 1651, of the need for representative democracy in the form of the social contract. At the beginning of Part II of Common-Wealth he suggests “The finall Cause, End, or Designe of men … in the introduction of that restraint upon themselves, (in which wee see them live in Common-wealths,)” which means to ascend from the dark times filled with war that he describes “the life of the man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Is to surrender some freedom for a rule of law that would be enforced by the state. John Locke introduced the idea of private property in his work ‘The Second Treatise of Government’ in 1690 where the government “must not raise taxes on the property of the people without the consent of the people.” The people, to decide things like taxes, should elect the government. The American revolutionaries, and the women’s suffrage movement as “no taxation without representation” would later echo this. Liberalism is also founded upon the idea of the free enterprise system, or capitalism. That people are free to buy and sell goods for a profit, and that this is the only way that society

Welfare liberals believe in ‘positive liberty’, which they are concerned about the ‘ability to do’ compared to negative liberty’s ‘freedom from’. This means welfare liberals are more concerned with equality of opportunity than their classical counter-parts. Welfare liberals are also more concerned with equality and social justice than any other of their liberal counterparts, however they hold these ideals on a foundation of personal freedom, which distinguishes them from socialists. Welfare liberals believe in capitalism, like classical liberals, but also understand that there should be some more rules to make sure no one is being exploited in the process. As their name suggests, welfare liberals are avid supporters of the social welfare state. The welfare state, as we know it did not appear on a mainstream level in the capitalist West until 1945 in post-war Britain, where the newly elected Labour government introduced the National Health Service and unemployment benefits. They believe that everyone should have access to health care, and education; no one should die from preventable diseases solely because they do not have access to the wealth to pay for the treatment. They believe that the government should provide these services for the people who cannot afford them in the private market. Welfare liberals also believe in the social safety net of unemployment benefits, so those who lose their job do