Understanding Politics

Understanding Notes #2 Liberalism

For the next few lectures we will be discussing the industrialized democracies of the West. In this category will be those states which have had functioning democracies for at least 40 years, and also posses highly developed capitalist economies. This category will include almost all of Western Europe, the United States, Canada, Oz, New Zealand, etc. Deal with Japan in a later context.

The term democracy in itself is somewhat problematic. Virtually all states claim to be democratic -DDR, DPRK, etc. This term has taken on heavy symbolic value and is often used to describe us, while other terms are used to denote them. There has been a difference of opinion as to what determines democracy - in the west we view it as the ability to exercise determinant influence on the direction of government policy; however, Marxism would contend that this is only an illusion. Our elections are presented as being facades that serve to dupe the people into believing that they exercise control over their lives, while in reality the government is simply a product of the desires of the elite. They contend that democracy is impossible without equality, and that their system is democratic as it provides for freedom from exploitation. This is purported to represent economic freedom for the masses.

Literal translation - Demos- People; Kratos - Government******************

**Pedicles and Four Elements of Democracy**

(1) government by the people, with their full and direct participation;

(2) equality before the law;

(3) pluralism, or the respect for different pursuits and viewpoints; and

(4) existence of a civil society.

However, for the purposes of this class, I will be employing the traditional definition of democracy which rests on two basic premises popular sovereignty and the social contract.

The former means that the public will have a regular choice as to the composition and orientation of its government. I.E. that it will be free to choose from alternative viewpoints in the exercise of policy. At this point, it is useful to draw a distinction between direct and representative democracy. Under direct democracy, the citizenry decides on policy issues through frequent meetings or referendums (referenda?). This is what we normally think of when we refer to Athenian democracy. However, this has problems of its own - Athens as a slave state, women.

In modern times, this has occurred very rarely, New England town halls, certain issues in Switzerland. It is difficult to organize on a national level (not only due to technical problems, but also the complexity of the issues involved). Consequently, the type of democracy which is most frequently practiced is representative democracy, where the citizenry elects people on the presumption that they will represent their interests in the functioning of gov't.

The social contract is an agreement between the population and the government that involves the surrender of direct decision making powers in exchange for limitations on the actions of gov't. I.E. the preservation of certain rights and freedoms. The people agree to consent to the decisions of government due to the restraints that they place on its behavior.

**We can divide democracy into five basic phases**

1. Focus on Personal Liberty - Locke

2. Focus on Economic Liberty - Smith

3. The Expansion of Rights - Rousseau

4. Positivism - Jeremy Bentham, Mill

5. Social Justice and the Welfare State - Social Democracy and Modern Liberalism.

To correspond to these basic phases, we will examine the first three under the heading of classical liberalism and the fourth under the broad heading of modern liberalism, and the last when examining modern liberalism and social democracy. (Problems with the term socialism). The ideology of conservatism will be examined separately, as it largely served as a means of shaping all of the phases listed above.

**Classical Liberalism**

This as a theory serves as the basis for the trend toward democracy in the 18th and 19th century Europe and North America. It emerged as a means of protest toward the absolute power held by the monarchs of Europe, usually with the collaboration of the church. Under the systems of feudalism and mercantilism, power was concentrated in the hands of the few. With regents