Meaning of Liberalism:
Liberalism is an important and progressive thought of modern era. It is not only a line of thought, but also a lifestyle and movement, which adopts a new thought process rejecting the conservative line of thought. The word ‘Liberalism’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Liberals’, which means ‘freedom’. In this way, liberalism is a line of thought which gives optimum freedom to an individual in every field of life- contemplation, expression, interaction, faith, analysis and cooperation, etc. Freedom is the core element of liberalism.
Types of Liberalism:
On the basis of historical development, liberalism can be divided into two parts:
- Traditional liberalism
- Modern liberalism.
1. Traditional liberalism:
It is also called negative liberalism because the previous form of liberalism was negative. This started with the demand of freedom of the individual from autocratic political system and feudalism. In traditional liberalism, a state is thought to be against the freedom of an individual because there becomes suppression of freedom, equality and rights of an individual due to negative activities of a state.
It was limited to the demand of constitutional protection of individual rights. In due course of time, ancient liberalism emerged with the demand of religious freedom, tolerance, constitutional and political rights. Jeremy Bentham, Adam Smith, Herbert Spencer, etc. are thought to be the main supporters of traditional liberalism.
2. Modern Liberalism:
In the 19th century, liberal thinkers incorporated certain amendments and changes in traditional liberalism in accordance with the demand of time. In this, there was an emphasis on positive role of a state in place of its negative role, and as such, it is called positive liberalism. In modern liberalism, there was a condition of freedom for the welfare of an individual, especially the weak and poor section of the society.
Unlike traditional liberalism, modern liberalism believes that a state should render a positive role in controlling and balancing mutual relations of its people. The supporters of modern liberalism do not accept a state as a necessary evil. They accept a state as a positive and welfare institution for the development and safety of the interest of people. The main modern liberals are John Stuart Mill, T.H. Green, L.T. Hobhouse, H.J. Laski and R.M. Maclver.
