The Origin & Growth of Liberalism: Pg. 100

• • • • Paul Gauguin’s art sought to answer the age old questions of: Where do we come from? – Exploring the emergence of classical liberal ideology during the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason.

What are we? – Exploring the reaction of people within a society to the evolution of classical liberal ideology.

Where are we going? – Investigating the responses to economic and social conditions that arose based on the evolution of classical liberalism.

These are three central questions to Social Studies – they reflect the characteristics of ideology!

Okay… time to take a step back and enter a world of history!

As a response to the factors that cried for changes to the old order, great thinkers expounded a new way of organizing society based on an ideology known as “Liberalism”.

What Are We Learning Today?

2.5 the relationship between the principles of liberalism and the origins of classical liberal thought.

Classical Liberalism Embraces Individualism

• Classical liberalism is an ideology that embraces the principles of individualism: – Rule of law – Individual rights and freedoms – Private property – Economic freedom – Self-interest – Competition – www.learnliberty.org/content/what-classical-liberalism Notes – Dr. Nigel Ashford (7:09) Take

Liberalism

• • • • The word liberal comes from the Latin meaning free.

liber , The word was first used in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars.

Liberalism has been applied to those who favour the reform (change) of gov’t.

It stresses the importance of human rationality.

Origins of Classical Liberalism • Renaissance and Protestant Reformation (1300s-1500s): Sparked a belief in the importance of the individual. • • The Renaissance was a rebirth of classical Greek and Roman thinking The Reformation reflected the belief that faith, in the rationality of the individual, was more important than the hierarchical concentration of religious power within the Roman Catholic Church.

Enlightenment/Age of Reason (late 1600s-early 1700s)

• • • Promoted the beliefs of classical liberalism. Revived Greek & Roman thinking.

– Thomas Aquinas sought to use Aristotle’s ideas to support teachings of the Catholic Church through logic and reason. New appreciations of logic and reason of this time traced back to the Humanists.

The Humanists • • • A group of thinkers that emerged in Italy and France in the late 1300s.

Humanism

• : Ideology that developed an interpretation of history, beliefs about human nature, and structure of society – based on reason rather than religion. – Humanists sought meaning and purpose in love, beauty, art, and the development of self.

While Enlightenment thinkers believed that these new ideas could lead to freer and tolerant societies, their ideas were not widely accepted because they challenged the established foundations of society.

Europe in Turmoil • • By the 1600s Europe was in turmoil over these new ideas about individuality and faith. Was a time of rigorous religious wars and imperial expansion. Feudal economic order broke down as cities grew and people expanded trade overseas. Saw the emergence of a wealthy middle class that saw the beginning of the eroding of the aristocracy, whose wealth had been primarily based on agriculture.

Yet Society Ripe for Change… In these turbulent times of • political struggle for less authoritarian rule, • • demands for greater economic opportunities, and social movements challenging the status quo, society seemed ripe to embrace this new ideology of classical liberalism (gave citizens more economic, political, and social freedom in their lives).

Classical Liberalism: Factors • • • Many ppl who believed in liberalism during this time believed: Individual freedoms and rights should be protected.

Nobody should be above the law.

What is good for individuals within a community can also be good for the community as a whole.

• • • Classical Liberalism: Factors

Continued

Most individuals, if left alone, will make good decisions for themselves as well as their communities.

Gov’t intervention should be limited so as to allow individuals as much freedom of choice about their lives as possible.

Individuals and companies should be allowed to create, market, purchase, and sell products within a minimum of gov’t intervention (a free market economy).

• • •

The Basic Principles of Classical Liberalism

The primacy (dominance) of individual rights and freedoms, to be exercised in the individual’s self-interest. Example: freedom of speech, religious liberty, private property.

The protection of these civil liberties.

rule of law.

Example: everyone must abide by the same laws, which the gov’t enforces with impartiality (fairness); The belief that humans are reasonable and can make rational decisions that will benefit themselves and society as a whole.

The Basic Principles of Classical Liberalism Continued • Economic freedom, involving the ownership of private property and free markets: markets with limited gov’t intervention. • Constitutional limitations on the gov’t.

Example: gov’t is an instrument for serving a function in society rather than being in charge of all of society; gov’t is responsible to the ppl and may be changed by them.

• • • • • • • Thinkers whose ideas contributed to the ideology of economic, social and political liberalism… Thomas Hobbes John Locke Baron de Montesquieu John Stuart Mill Adam Smith Jean-Jacques Rousseau Aboriginal Contributions

Thomas Hobbes

(1588-1679) • • • Was concerned with the problems of social and political order : how human beings could live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil conflict.

IMPORTANT: (Leviathan).

His ideas are born out of the horrors of civil war and conflict!!! Therefore, he supported a strong central authority As a result of the civil war he saw human beings as inherently selfish, and if left unchecked, this selfishness would result in chaos and harm to everyone.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) • • • Hobbes's goal was the security of all individuals, which could be achieved if they gave up their individual sovereignty to the Leviathan.

The Leviathan could only justify its power if it kept its subjects safe – again the focus is back on the worth of the individual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7JIZ32-pII Hobbes and Locke Enlightened Thinkers

• • John Locke, an English philosopher, was the first to argue that individuals had innate (inborn) rights of life, liberty and property.

Like Hobbes, he believed in a social contract, whereby ppl gave up natural rights to gov’t in order to receive social order and security for themselves and their property. John Locke (1632-1704)

• • • • More Locke… Unlike Hobbes, he believed that the gov’t was accountable to the ppl. If the Contract was broken the people have the right to rebel.

Government comes about through the agreement of free individuals that their rights are best protected by associating with one another.

Locke’s ideas justified the Glorious Revolution in Britain in 1688, the American Revolution of 1776, and the French Revolution of 1789.

Locke believed that people should have a ‘private sphere’ that the government could not interfere with, (religion in particular). The state should be tolerant of all religions.

• • More Locke Again… “Reason must be our last judge and guide in everything.” Locke believed that individuals had the right to use their reason and logic to make their own decisions.

American Declaration of Independence • “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted by men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed……

• • • Declaration of the Rights of Man The National Assembly also took to Locke’s ideas and put those very ideas into their Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

“The end of all political associations is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptable rights of man; and these rights are liberty, property, security, and the resistance of oppression.” Portrays the idea called ‘Rule of Law’.

Charles de Secondat, baron de

Montesquieu

(1689-1755) • • • Montesquieu was critical of the Church and the divine right of kings , who were the two great authoritarian powers of his time.

Montesquieu believed in the worth of the individual, the equality of individuals, and the accountability of government.

Supported the separation of powers – the government divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

More Montesquieu… • • • • Three branches were independent of each other and could not exceed the power of the other two branches.

People need to be involved in government – need for a democracy.

Citizens must participate in and be aware of the law and workings of government.

“The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy (rule by a few) is not so dangerous to public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.”

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

• • John Stuart Mill put together many themes on liberalism in his book entitled ‘On Liberty’.

Interested in the protection of individual freedom and the promotion of individual decision making as the core of societal institutions.

More Mill… • • • Here is a quote from Mills about liberty and the use of power. “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” A citizen should be able to act as he or she wants, so long as his or her actions would not harm others. HUGE advocate of free speech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy14_tMA H4I&feature=related Biography

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1778) (1712 • • • Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher who spent much of his adult life in France. He was very interested in the common good. He believed that ppl are inherently good and have been corrupted by civilization and society.

Believed that humans are naturally free and are equal in principle: “Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.”

• • • More Rousseau… Rousseau wanted humans to go back to the characteristics the were universal and unchanging: the characteristics that made humans good and equal.

His ideal state was one where the general will of the ppl was the absolute authority.

Unlike Locke, was opposed to the idea of a representative democracy (a system where a small group of politicians are elected by a larger group of citizens.) Instead, he felt that citizens themselves should make the laws.

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

• • • The French term laissez-faire to do as they wish.

= leave ppl alone This term is definitive of capitalism and refers to a reduction of gov’t involvement in the economy. Individual actions and achievements are deemed to be more productive in economic decision making than gov’t actions.

Physiocrats & Mercantilism • • • Laissez-faire capitalism emerged from the theories of the physiocrats.

Physiocrats = a group of Enlightenment philosophers in France who critiqued the prevailing economics of mercantilism.

Mercantilism = the aim that all economic pursuits should be to strengthen the power and wealth of the state (gov’t).

• • •

Adam Smith

(1723-1790) Adam Smith was a Scottish political economist who spent time with the physiocrats, and they influenced his thinking.

He, too, disagreed with existing mercantilist economic system.

In 1776 he published the Wealth of Nations system. , in which he described a system where individuals work for their own self-interest in a free-market

• • • • Adam Smith A Radical!

It’s important to realize how radical Smith’s ideas were at the time.

The mercantilist system increased the wealth of the state but not the wealth of the majority of ppl within that state, and very few ppl enjoyed the benefits of the labour that fed the state’s wealth. Smith’s ideas were in stark contrast to this. He believed that if ppl worked first and foremost for themselves, everyone (including the state), would be better off. Smith insisted that individual self-interest in a free market would lead to a stronger economy and would benefit most ppl in society.

The Invisible Hand

• The idea of the invisible hand, Smith’s justification for self-interest as an economic motive, can be stated quite simply: labour. by having every individual look after his or her own best interests, he or she unwittingly ends up helping everyone else, by providing jobs and cheaper • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FHxpoQqP TU

So What is the Gov’t’s Role?

• • Smith believed that the gov’t’s role should be limited to maintaining the rule of law, to ensuring contracts were followed, and to providing some public works (education, road maintenance).

Smith’s work provided the foundation for much of the capitalist system. These essential concepts – the free market and a limited role for gov’t – became the basis of laissez-faire capitalism, the economic system associated with classical liberalism.

What Are We Learning Today?

2.4 Explore aboriginal contributions to the development of liberalism.

Aboriginal Contributions to Liberalism It has been argued that many of the principles of liberalism originated in traditional Aboriginal societies.

In Canada, our Aboriginal communities use liberal ideas such as elected leaders, government by consensus, leadership on the basis of merit, just punishment, and concepts of equality and equality before the law.

Great Law of Peace

The Great Law of Peace provided the Haudenosaunee peoples with a constitution that dates back to the 15 th liberalism.

century. The Great Binding Law, as it sometimes is referred to, has three main principles: righteousness, health and power – all characteristics of http://www.iroquoisdemocracy.pdx.edu/html/gre atlaw.html

Take a look at the original document.

Liberalism Today Liberals today generally believe that every individual is unique. become whatever it is one is capable of becoming.

The role of the state (government) is to produce the conditions under which individuals have the broadest possible choice in deciding upon their definition of good.

Society, meanwhile, should celebrate this diversity while giving colour, sex or status in life.

In exchange for this respect, the individual must acknowledge responsibility for his own fortunes and for the fortunes of the community.

Liberalism in Canada

Freedoms advanced the liberal cause by entrenching into the Canadian Constitution (Canada Act) both basic rights for minorities.

The purpose of the Charter was to entrench (dig in) rights, especially language rights, where no government could ever take them away.

With the Charter as a shield ,a single take precedence over authority.

rights of groups within the areas of society.