Liberalism

Depiction of John Locke, Father of Liberalism.

Liberalism is a capitalist political and economic ideology which seeks to ensure bourgeois property relations and political rights within the framework of the nominally democratic system, known as bourgeois or liberal democracy. Liberalism emerged during the 17th century in England after the victory of the Glorious Revolution and the defeat of absolute monarchy. Historically, Liberalism represented a class alliance of the big bourgeoisie and aristocracy. Liberalism, now in the present largely in the form of neo-liberalism, is one of the major ruling ideologies within capitalist states.

Liberalism is contrasted with other right-wing ideologies such as fascism in that it seeks to provide the illusion of democratic freedoms and universal equality for the workers, whereas fascism seeks the abolition of bourgeois democracy while still maintaining the capitalist system.

See also

• Bourgeois democracy
• Classical political economy
• Libertarianism