Critical Response paper 1
Liberalism vs. Socialism
When looking into different political theories there are many different views and even more political opinions on what is best for any one nation and their citizens. In order to fully understand any component of government we must understand its underlying political ideologies and the beliefs behind its policies and views. Liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism, feminism, and environmentalism are well known political ideologies. Each ideology has drastic differences of views relating to equality, power, freedom, and justice. Let’s shift the focus by showing just how drastic these differences and concepts can be between the ideologies by looking at liberalism and socialism in terms of government and political systems.
In order to understand the workings of a liberalist government we must understand their beliefs. Liberalism supports the idea of individualism over society in that people have the right to make choices for themselves, not society. Liberals believe in equality meaning that no person is morally or politically superior to another. They also believe that people as individuals are capable of thinking logically and rationally in areas of political science and economics, allowing the replacement of old, traditional views by newer and more appropriate views that fit today’s modern way of living. Liberalism supports the free market concept of creating wealth to whoever strives for it rather than placing regulations and limitations on occupations people can hold which no doubt limits their economic a social growth. These basic characteristics of liberalism have led liberals to argue in favor of a limited government, which draws its power from the people. An example of a liberalist government would be during the 1600, particularly the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in Britain. During this time the liberal views regarding freedom of the press and freedom of speech, were being justified in a government setting and the ideas of
When looking into different political theories there are many different views and even more political opinions on what is best for any one nation and their citizens. In order to fully understand any component of government we must understand its underlying political ideologies and the beliefs behind its policies and views. Liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism, feminism, and environmentalism are well known political ideologies. Each ideology has drastic differences of views relating to equality, power, freedom, and justice. Let’s shift the focus by showing just how drastic these differences and concepts can be between the ideologies by looking at liberalism and socialism in terms of government and political systems.
In order to understand the workings of a liberalist government we must understand their beliefs. Liberalism supports the idea of individualism over society in that people have the right to make choices for themselves, not society. Liberals believe in equality meaning that no person is morally or politically superior to another. They also believe that people as individuals are capable of thinking logically and rationally in areas of political science and economics, allowing the replacement of old, traditional views by newer and more appropriate views that fit today’s modern way of living. Liberalism supports the free market concept of creating wealth to whoever strives for it rather than placing regulations and limitations on occupations people can hold which no doubt limits their economic a social growth. These basic characteristics of liberalism have led liberals to argue in favor of a limited government, which draws its power from the people. An example of a liberalist government would be during the 1600, particularly the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in Britain. During this time the liberal views regarding freedom of the press and freedom of speech, were being justified in a government setting and the ideas of