Liberalist Governments and Socialist Governments

754 Words2 Pages

In this essay, I will be discussing Liberalism and Socialism, what exactly they entail, and how they were and are still used in societies today. Liberalism is defined as a political orientation that favors social progress by reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution. Socialism is defined as a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. While the intentions of liberalist and socialist governments are the same, what makes them different is how they believe is the best ways to obtain a prosperous and peaceful nation. Liberalist government was founded on the ideas of liberty and equality. It involves free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade, and private property. During the Age of Enlightenment, political movements among philosophers and economists in the west pushed forward with the ideas of a liberal government. They rejected what was common at the time, like state religion and monarchy. John Locke was acknowledged for finding the traditions of liberalism. He argued that individuals have rights and that the government must not violate those rights. He opposed traditional conservatism. The ideas of liberalist government spread throughout the world. For the United States, it helped abolish slavery. For Latin America, it paved the way for independence from Spain and Portugal. In the 19th Century, the Austrian Empire, German states, and Italian states brought forward the ideas of liberalism. They demanded written constitutions, suffrage rights, and freedom of the press. However, by the end of the 19th Century, liberalism was challenged ... ... middle of paper ... ...ecisions. They believe that state power should be limited and that state should only intervene when really necessary. They believe it is an individual’s right to be as successful as they chose. They support private businesses, and the wanting of an individual to better himself. To liberalists, economic freedom is more important than economic equality. Socialists believe that citizens are best served by policies focused on meeting the basic needs of the entire society rather than an individual. All citizens should work equally as hard and put in equal contributions. The goal is equality. While liberalists and socialists have the same intentions of creating the best nations, that are peaceful and prosperous, they have very different views and approaches on how to create said nations. These are the differences between liberal and social ways of governing a nation.

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