LIBERALISM

ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED

TO

FACULTY OF LAW, JMI

BY

AMAN HASAN

B.A.LLB. (HONS)

SELF- FINANCE (2022-2027)

SUPERVISED BY

Dr. MOHD SHAHZAD

(ASST. PROF. – POLITICAL SCIENCE)
(FACULTY OF LAW, JMI)
 INDEX

CONTENTS: PAGE NO:

INTRODUCTION 1

FEATURES OF LIBERALISM 2

CLASSICAL LIBERALISM 3

MODERN LIBERALISM 4

NEOLIBERALISM 5

INDIA’S LIBERALISM 6

CONCLUSION 7

BIBLIOGRAPHY 8
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

With immense pleasure and a profound sense of gratitude. I take this opportunity to express
my deep sense of gratitude to my teacher, Dr. Mohd Shahzad, Asst. Prof. -POLITICAL
SCIENCE. Faculty of Law, JMI. His initial inspiration, constant encouraging attitude and
sound guidance through every stage of the entire work has boosted me to complete the present
study successfully. I am fortunate and feel proud of having worked under his supervision.

I must also acknowledge with thanks the help and cooperation extended to me by the different
internet websites. I express my deep sense of regard and special indebtedness to my mother
who have always been a sense of inspiration for me and have provided me with all the bits of
help whenever needed.
 CERTIFICATE

This is to clarify that AMAN HASAN carried out the project work entitled “LIBERALISM”
in partial fulfilment of the requirement for Political science assignment work under my
guidance and supervision, it is completed in the same to my satisfaction. The material in this
project is slightly original.

Supervisor (Dr. Mohd Shahzad)

(Asst. Prof. – Political science)

(Faculty of law, JMI)

Date:__________
 DECLARATION

I, AMAN HASAN solemnly declare that this project entitled “LIBERALISM” is submitted
in partial fulfillment for Political science assignment work. It is the result of my original work.
Due to acknowledgement, it has been made wherever anything has been borrowed from other
sources.

AMAN HASAN

B.A.LL.B (Hons.) (Self Financed)

(2022-27)
INTRODUCTION

Liberalism is an ideology committed to the individual and a society in which individuals can
pursue and realize their interests. The word “liberal” is derived from the same Latin word as
liberty – liber, meaning “free.” The word was used before the 19th century to mean “generous
or tolerant.” Presently, the word “liberal” refers to a political position or point of view.
Liberalism is a group of political, social and economic theories that centres on the values of
individual liberty, equality, economic freedom, limited and democratic government and the
rule of law. Liberalism, from the Latin liberalis, is a broad political ideology or worldview
originated from the ideas of liberty and equality. According to theorists, Liberalism is a
political ideology whose main concern is to protect and enhance the liberty of individuals. As
a political principle, liberalism did not emerge until the early nineteenth century. However,
liberal thoughts and values had been developed through enormous social changes from the
sixteenth century, and can even be traced back to as early as ancient Greece and Rome, although
there are some distinctions in the main elements. Other theorists elaborated that liberty is a
political concept that refers to freedom from undue or oppressive restraints on a person's
actions, thoughts or beliefs imposed by the state. Some important liberties in modern liberal
states include freedom of speech, press, religion and association. Liberty is constrained by the
harm principle, which states that you have liberty as long as you do not harm others. Liberalism
holds that all individuals should have equal treatment before the law irrespective of social
status, race or sex. Economic freedom is also closely related with liberalism and involves
support for free markets and private property rights. There are several common fundamentals
shared by all variants of liberalism.

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FEATURES OF LIBERALISM
Recognition of Importance of Individual:

Liberalism accords to the individual a high position of importance. Individual is accepted as

the central point of all political, economic and social activities. It is meaningless to talk of
society minus individuals, because a society is nothing but a large and active group of
individuals. The society is a means to the end, which is the individual. Society is for the
individual and not the individual for the society.

Faith in Rationality of Individual:

Liberalism has a firm faith in the intelligence and rationality of individual. Being rational, every
individual knows well what is good for him and what is not. No person can be and should be
forced to accept and follow such conventions, laws1 and principles as do not conform to his
logic and intellect. The supporters of Liberalism place emphasis upon the organised intellectual
power of human individual as the basis of all human progress and development.

Opposition to Blind Faith and Tradition:

Medieval Age was bound down by superstitions and traditions. The political, economic and
religious institutions were looked upon as the ideals. The liberalists opposed these institutions
and prepared the way for further changes. The liberalists had little faith in superstitions and old
dogmatic traditions. They stood for a society free from superstitions and irrational traditions.

Support for Human Rights and Freedom:

The liberal thinkers support human rights and freedom. No State or society should abolish or
restrict them. The State is to protect all the rights. According to them the basic rights are: the
right to life, right to property and the rights to liberty, equality and justice.

Firm Support for Liberty:

The liberalists support liberty as the most cherished ideal. It includes the liberty of expression,
liberty of family, liberty of religion, economic liberty and social liberty. However, liberty is
conceptualised in a positive way. It is not defined as absence of restraints. It stands for some
rational restraints and seeks to eliminate irrational ones.

1
Features of liberalism, available at : https://byjusexamprep.com/liberalism-i (Last visited on December
18,2022)

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CLASSICAL LIBERALISM
Classical liberalism is a conviction in a 'minimal' state, whose function is limited to the
maintenance of domestic order and personal security. Classical liberals stress that human
beings are essentially self-interested and largely self-sufficient; as far as possible, people
should be responsible for their own lives and circumstances. As an economic principle,
classical liberalism admires the merits of a self-regulating market in which government
intervention is seen as both unnecessary and damaging. Classical liberal ideas are expressed in
certain natural rights theories and utilitarianism, and provide the bases of libertarianism. In
basic form, classical liberalism is a political ideology belonging to liberalism in which primary
emphasis is placed on securing the freedom of the individual by limiting the power of the
government.2 The philosophy emerged as a response to the Industrial Revolution and
urbanization in the 19th century in Europe and the United States. It advocates civil liberties
with a limited government under the rule of law, private property, and belief in laissez-faire
economic policy. Another crucial element of classical liberalism is economic liberalism. This
principle was mostly provided by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. It was elaborated by
philosophers that classical liberals advocate Laissez-faire, believing in the self-regulating of
the market and the minimum of government intervention, which guarantees liberty of
individuals and the prosperity of the market.

Classical liberalism must be understood as a doctrine and movement that grew out of a
distinctive culture and particular historical circumstances. The historical circumstances were
the confrontation of the free institutions and values inherited from the Middle Ages with the
dominance of the absolutist state of the 16th and 17th centuries. The struggle of the Dutch
against the absolutism of the Spanish Habsburgs manifested basically liberal traits: the rule of
law, including especially a firm adherence to property rights; de facto religious toleration;
considerable freedom of expression; and a central government of severely limited powers. The
astonishing success of the Dutch experiment exerted a "demonstration effect" on European
social thought and, gradually, political practice. This was even truer of the later example of
England.

2
Classical liberalism, available at : https://www.britannica.com/topic/liberalism/Classical-liberalism (Last
visited on December 18,2022)

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MODERN LIBERALISM
As an ideology, modern liberalism is generally considered to be in the center of the economic
spectrum and is based upon the idea of a mixed economy that includes elements from both the
left and right. It first emerged out of the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the rise of
socialist movements and values that swept across Europe and North America at the time.
Historians consider the emergence of socialism, and in turn modern liberalism, as a response
to some of the appalling conditions present in classical liberal societies of the Industrial
Revolution. Modern liberalism was preceded by classical liberalism and both are part of
liberalism as an ideology. Profits of the prosperous industry were in the hand of giant
companies, while the mass benefited very little. Subsequently, the gap between the rich and
the poor was significantly bloated. Moreover, as the poor people was not able to consume, there
were a large surplus of supply, which led to depressions. Meanwhile, as the rich gained more
power, they were able to influence politic and limit competition. In this circumstance, liberals
of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth planned for reforms. Their ideas were strongly
influenced by J.S Mill, who was generally recognized as the watershed philosopher in
liberalism. From 1950 onwards, government intervention had extended into various areas of
life. Social welfare starting from free public education and workers' accident insurance were
established. Modern liberalism reached its top in the post war period, when everything, from
industries to the self-respect of individuals, was to be rebuilt. Welfare programs were further
expanded throughout western world,3 including social insurance, pensions, family allowances,
medical care, and government-funded higher education. In economic sector, "visible hand" of
the government had attained remarkable results

It is established in studies that modern liberalism displays a more sympathetic attitude towards
the state, born out of the belief that unregulated capitalism merely produces new forms of
injustice. State intervention can enlarge liberty by safeguarding individuals from the social
problems that afflict their existence. Whereas classical liberals understand freedom in 'negative'
terms, as the absence of constraints upon the individual, modern liberals link freedom to
personal development and self-realisation. This creates clear overlaps between modern
liberalism and social egalitarianism.

3
Modern liberalism, available at : https://www.historycrunch.com/modern-liberalism.html#/(Last visited on
December 18,2022)

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NEOLIBERALISM
Neoliberalism is a repossess of the political economy in classical liberalism. The philosophies
were developed by twenty century's economists, such as Friedrich Hayek and philosophers
such as Robert Nozick. They dealt the problem of the decelerating economic growth which
starting from the mid-1970s in the western world. Neoliberals hold that interference, whether
with a good intention or not, would have negative effects. The best solution should still be
found in "self-help, individual responsibility and entrepreneurialism". Margaret Thatcher's
policies were effective. She also asserted that "there is no such thing as society, only individuals
and their families". Neoliberalism, especially focus mainly after the Second World War. It is
categorized into four main strands of thinking: sociological liberalism, interdependence
liberalism, institutional liberalism, and republican liberalism.

Major elements of neo-liberalism are as under:

The rule of the market: Liberating "free" enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds
imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Reduce
wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers' rights that had been won over many
years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital,
goods and services.

Cutting public expenditure for social services: These can be cutting in education and health
care. Reducing the safety-net for the poor, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water
supply in the name of reducing government's role. Of course, they do not oppose government
subsidies and tax4 benefits for business.

Deregulation: It is to reduce government regulation of everything that could diminish profits,

including protecting the environment and safety on the job.

Privatization: It is a process of selling state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private

investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools,
hospitals and even fresh water. Although it is usually done in the name of greater efficiency,
which is often needed, privatization has mainly the effect of concentrating wealth even more
in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.

4
Neoliberalism, available at : https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/neoliberalism.asp(Last visited on
December 18,2022)

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INDIA’S LIBERALISM
India's liberalism has evolved through stages that first emphasised earthly life and materialism,
then social reforms and political independence, and now economic and social freedom:

Ancient Liberalism of Materialism: A culture as old as India's would obviously have a strand
of thought that is labelled today as liberalism or libertarianism. Liberalism is a philosophy for
living life on this earth; it does not directly concern itself or rather leaves individuals free to
choose their beliefs about after-life. The major focus of much of Indian philosophy has been
on the life before and after the one on earth and their interconnections: To explain the status in
the current life by considering what was done in the previous lives and to predict the future life
by evaluating the conduct in this life.

Modern Liberalism of Social Reforms: Modern liberalism in India took roots during the
social reform movements of the middle and late nineteenth century. Raja Ram Mohan Roy,
Gopal Krishna Gokhle and others launched a systemic attack on anti-life social practices like
sati and ban on widow remarriage through Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj movements. These
movements influenced a large section of the population, particularly in eastern and western
parts of India, where they still have a following.

Liberalism of Political Freedom: Under the banner of Congress Party, all activists were
engaged in discussion about the political and economic system that India should adopt after
independence. The socialist5 Sect formed a separate Congress Socialist Party and the liberal
group formed the liberal group but they all worked under the umbrella of the Congress Party..
With the war against Pakistan and formation of Bangladesh, the political system went through
a drastic change. The Swatantra Party tried to bring collectivisation of agriculture which turned
out to be a big failure.

Liberalism of economic freedom: After the reforms in the 1990s, the role of the state reversed,
from a welfare state India transformed into a liberal state with minimum intervention. This
marks the start of India’s exponential growth in terms of its economy.

5
India’s liberalism , available at: https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/define-liberalism-upsc/(Last visited on
December 18,2022)

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CONCLUSION
To summarize, liberalism is a political beliefs and equality. Liberals adopt range of views
depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally they support ideas and
programmes such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free
markets, civil rights, democratic societies, secular governments, and international cooperation.
It developed in the seventeenth century and transformation starting in the late nineteenth
century, and until the renewal of its original ideas in the recent decades. Liberalism constantly
adjust itself according to time and circumstances. There are two categories of liberalism namely
classical and modern. Classical liberalism emphasises the role of liberty, social liberalism
stresses the importance of equality. Classical and modern liberalism explained "liberty" from
different perspectives. Compared with classical liberals, modern liberals have more assurance
in the government and that support more intervention in social and economic matters.
Nonetheless, the belief in the supreme value of individuals and the reason of human beings,
the respect for equality and universality of morality remain unaffected. In modern society,
although it has been broadly accepted that government should protect the positive liberty of
individuals. It is documented in several research studies that 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 rebuffed the predominant social
and political norms of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and the Divine
Right of Kings. liberal theory of the state overestimates the individual and conversely
underestimates the potentials of the state. Its zeal to protect and promote the individual in his
rights, liberties and autonomy, it seeks to build a capitalistic system where the state is reduced
to the position of an instrument serving the exploitative tendencies. The focus of liberal
theorizing concerns the definition of individual rights and the state's role in protecting those
rights, analysing such issues depends not only on how one views the source of individual rights
but also on how one conceives the state itself.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

PRIMARY SOURCE :-

• NCERT.NIC.IN
• POLITICAL THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION BY ANDREW
HEYWOOD
• AN INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY BY O.P. GAUBA
• POLITICAL IDEAS AND IDEOLOGIES BY O.P. GAUBA

SECONDARY SOURCE :-

• https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/define-liberalism-upsc/
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/liberalism/Classical-liberalism
• https://www.historycrunch.com/modern-liberalism.html#/
• https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/neoliberalism.asp

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