Classic Liberalism Vs Modern Liberalism

Everyone can attest that human rights especially based on gender, have been evolving

from the ancient to modern due to liberalization that is still witnessed in the contemporary world.

Liberalism is a moral philosophy based on the political structure and the rights of individuals as

consent by the government through its law. Historically, the primary signs of liberal politics can

be traced to contemporary times, which mainly started during the English Civil Wars. Most of

the radical political movements during the Civil War called for religious freedom and aimed at

requesting governments to provide equality for everyone. Therefore, in the history of politics, the

fundamental and abiding issue revolved around individualism and collectivism. The primary

question was whether individuals had the right to pursue their happiness, as explained by one

proficient philosopher Thomas Jefferson1. Some viewed it in a way that individuals had an

obligation to live for the community, and one cannot question their rights. This article focuses on

individual liberalism during classical and contemporary times by highlighting some similarities

and differences.

Both classical and modern liberals believe that people have equal moral worth, and

because of this basis, people deserve equal individual rights. Even though that is the case, history

shows that there is a difference in terms of the styles of rights that people deserve to enjoy.2 For

instance, classical liberalism believes in negative freedom, and modern liberalism believes in

positive freedom. According to the definition of classical liberalism, people are free only if they

are not oppressed. On the other hand, positive freedom, as explained in modern liberalism, is that

1
Bellamy, Richard. "Liberalism." In Contemporary political ideologies, pp. 23-49. Routledge, 2019.
2
Drylie, Scott. "Adam Smith on schooling: A classical liberal rereading." Journal of Economic Behavior &
Organization 184 (2021): 748-770.
Classic Liberalism Vs Modern Liberalism
negative freedom is an insufficient form of measuring freedom since individuals are free only

when they are allowed to realize their goals and hopes.

Another important difference is that classical liberals believe that all the people have the

rights to be given equal treatment by law because people are equal in terms of moral worth

despite their social state of wealth, sex, or race. However, modern liberals think that a whole

society is equal when everyone has an opportunity to work like others and have a better living

standard. Therefore, the mantra is that people should have equality of opportunities. The state's

role is another area where classical and modern liberalism differs.3 Even though both believe that

the state is an important part and should exist, the classical believes that the state needs to have a

minimal intervention on matters affecting people because they are suspicious of the big state in

that it can lead to negative freedom of an individual. It is a contradiction in the modern liberals

because, according to the latter, the state has an important role in society in giving everyone an

equal opportunity to thrive on their own.

Liberalism is an important aspect of politics, and it explains the reasons for having

forthright debates whenever there are presidential elections and other contests concerning the

public offices. American politics are usually dominated by modern liberalism and conservatism,

and politics are more related to sociologies rather than ideologies.4 Modern liberalism is more

than individualistic and collectivist but rather deals with doctrine.

3
Smith, George H. The System of Liberty: Themes in the History of Classical Liberalism. Cambridge University
Press, 2013.
4
Drylie, Scott. "Adam Smith on schooling: A classical liberal rereading." Journal of Economic Behavior &
Organization 184 (2021): 748-770.
Classic Liberalism Vs Modern Liberalism
Classical liberalism is an ideology and the political philosophy of the founding fathers. It

permeates many documents, including the Federalists and the constitution created to form the

American system of government. During ancient times, people believed that the government was

the only body that could grant rights.5 The majority of those who opposed slavery were classical

liberals because they aimed to fight for women's rights to help women who were segregated from

society have equalities with men. There was a stereotype that women were inferior to their male

counterparts. Therefore, the basis of classical liberalism is liberty, and up to date, the concept of

the philosophers of classical liberalism is in the declaration of independence.

Nonetheless, some philosophers like Jefferson and John Locke thought it was supposed

to be the other way round. The philosophers believed that the role of government is to protect

people, especially when they get these rights. People should know that they can have rights even

though the government may not grant them.

The 19th century is considered the century of classical liberalism, and it is for the same

reason that there was an increase in the liberty of politics and economics.6 International liberty

was also realized during this time, and some of the notable areas where there was liberty include

international peace, price stability, and economic growth. Classical liberalism was rejected in the

20th century because there was a dictatorship, war, and depression. During the 20th century, more

than 265 million people were killed by the government.7

5
Peters, Michael A. "Hayek as a classical liberal public intellectual: Neoliberalism, the privatization of public
discourse and the future of democracy." Educational Philosophy and Theory 54, no. 5 (2022): 443-449.
6
Bellamy, Richard. "Liberalism." In Contemporary political ideologies, pp. 23-49. Routledge, 2019.
7
Drylie, Scott. "Adam Smith on schooling: A classical liberal rereading." Journal of Economic Behavior &
Organization 184 (2021): 748-770.
Classic Liberalism Vs Modern Liberalism
According to most liberals in modern liberalism, one should be able to say anything and

express themselves due to democracy. Also, there is a legislative law for laborers; therefore,

workers have a right to claim an increment in their salaries without necessarily being fired. The

law has minimum wage legislation that helps bring back sanity in the labor sector where there

has been slavery for a long time, especially during the ancient period.8 Further, most

conservatives believe that people should have economic rights, can enter the market, and have

the freedom to sell their goods and services to markets. Also, in modern liberalism, government

plays an important role in controlling businesses to avoid monopolies and exploit consumers.

Generally, modern liberals believe that for a country to prosper, government management and

interventions should be prioritized. Through government management, the macro-economy is

likely to sustain to enhance better employment opportunities and keep inflation in check, and the

economic growth should be kept high. Modern liberalism also supports institutions that defend

against any form of economic inequality.9

In conclusion, there are some similarities between classical and modern liberalism.

However, more differences exist between the classical and modern liberals regarding how

individuals should have rights. Classical liberals are reformers because it is evident how civil and

economic institutions have been reformed. There have been abolishing slavery and extending

voting rights to the black communities. Protection of Bills of Rights, especially for the minority

communities, was enhanced.

8
Smith, George H. The System of Liberty: Themes in the History of Classical Liberalism. Cambridge University
Press, 2013.
9
Smith, George H. The System of Liberty: Themes in the History of Classical Liberalism. Cambridge University
Press, 2013.
Classic Liberalism Vs Modern Liberalism
On the other hand, modern liberalization has seen modern gender equality achieved.

Women are given equal opportunities with men and can perform similar duties in offices initially

given to men only. Therefore, it is evident that individual liberation has changed from classical to

modern times and it is expected that with the current evolution, the future individualism will be

better and have better rights compared to now.

Classic Liberalism Vs Modern Liberalism
Bibliography

Bellamy, Richard. "Liberalism." In Contemporary political ideologies, pp. 23-49. Routledge,

2019.

Drylie, Scott. "Adam Smith on schooling: A classical liberal rereading." Journal of Economic

Behavior & Organization 184 (2021): 748-770.

Peters, Michael A. "Hayek as a classical liberal public intellectual: Neoliberalism, the

privatization of public discourse and the future of democracy." Educational Philosophy

and Theory 54, no. 5 (2022): 443-449.

Smith, George H. The System of Liberty: Themes in the History of Classical Liberalism.

Cambridge University Press, 2013.