Classical Liberal Theory

Classical Liberal Theory

Classical liberalism is a very interesting political theory. The underlying belief is that what makes a person human is freedom from the dependence on the will of others. It is complete freedom from any relations with others, except those entered voluntarily. Another main point of classical liberalism is that the individual is the owner of his person and his capacities, for which he owes nothing to society. The individual, although free, has no power to limit anyone else's freedom. Classical liberalism includes the following: an ethical emphasis on the individual as a rights-bearer prior to the existence of any state, community, or society, the support of the right of property carried to its economic conclusion, a free-market system, and the desire for a limited constitutional government to protect individuals' rights from others and from its own expansion. Basically, it is political and economic philosophy emerging along with the growth of capitalism. The central belief is that unregulated free markets are the best means to allocate productive resources and distribute goods and services, and that government intervention should be minimal if that at all. Behind this is an assumption about individuals being rational, self-interested and methodical in the pursuit of their goals. Classical Liberalism is the freedom from any unwanted governmental control or interference. However, this does not mean that a strong government isn't absolutely necessary. For the idea of the theory to work, a government must be established for one purpose only. The only function the governing body may serve is to regulate and maintain the individuals freedom.

When Tocqueville wrote his book, Democracy in America, he critic...

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...xisted in the US. However, this government may serve only to preserve the freedoms of all individuals within the society. COINTELPRO is one of the first signs of the despotic emergence that Tocqueville feared. After all, the FBI's intentions were in the right place- they sought only to protect its citizens. But against all the principles of classical liberalism, they did this by taking away the freedom of certain individuals. They acted in a despotic manner, disregarding all laws set forth by the democratic state, and took the law into their own hands. This is in direct violation of the role government must serve for classical liberalism to work. Tocqueville's warnings were correct; the government took the law into their own hands, and committed illegal acts against its citizens and, therefore, began the subtle breakdown of the democratic state. No one even noticed.