What is liberalism?

Ideology

Liberalism is characterised by the holding of liberal views, a willingness to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one’s own, and openness to new ideas. Liberalism is typically favourable to or respectful of individual rights and freedoms, favouring individual liberty, free trade, and moderate political and social reform. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but they generally support civil rights, democracy, secularism, gender and race equality, internationalism, and the freedoms of speech, the press, religion, and markets.

Liberalism became a distinct movement in the Age of Enlightenment, seeking to replace the norms of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, the divine right of kings, and traditional conservatism with representative democracy and the rule of law. Liberalism also put an end to mercantilist policies, royal monopolies, and other barriers to trade, instead promoting free markets and capitalism.

Followers

Liberals support a balance of both economic freedom and restriction alongside light restrictions on cultural freedom. Liberals oppose economic deregulation and any reduction in taxes.

Allies

Liberals will ally themselves with those nearby on the political spectrum, such as centrists, conservatives, social democrats, and libertarians.

Liberals tend to view anti-statists with derision, believing a state, even if minimal, to be necessary, and as such, will not ally with them.

Enemies

Liberals consider all authoritarians, whether they socialist or capitalist, to be their enemies.

Location on the political spectrum

Liberalism is located at the centre-bottom centre of the political spectrum. It is bordered by centrism, conservatism, libertarian capitalism, Georgism, mutualism, syndicalism, libertarian socialism, and social democracy. As it is a mainstream ideology, liberalism occupies more space on the spectrum than fringe ideologies.