Liberalism Vs Liberal Democracy

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Liberalism is an ideology and its narrative focuses on the importance of the individual, and closely interlinked with this is freedom, which leads on to the concept of the individual freedom or liberty. Liberalism proposes that the principle of justice and tolerance are fundamental to the wellbeing of society and each of these aspects relate directly back to the individual in question. John Stuart Mill says behind liberalism lies the belief that we are all different and this diversity should be seen as a strength not, weakness, emphasizing the importance of right and society’s role to protect these rights. How then is it possible that liberals, guided by right, reason, and freedom of speech come up with a new narrative and all will agree to…show more content…
Liberalism advocates freedom of free speech wiles democracy divides these speeches based on majority and minority. The problem, of course, is not with the concept of liberalism. The main issue is the fact that democracy tend to place less rationality on decisions made at the end of the day. It is not about who makes the most sense anymore. It is about how many are in favor of decisions made irrespective of good or bad. The decision making in a democratic government is centered on inequality. Thus, the bigger number wins. Then there is the problem of class inequality itself in the system where it is the lower class against the upper class. In theory, decisions made are expected to favor the majority which in most societies are expected to be those in the lower class. However, class issues still remain a bigger part of liberal democracy today because most decisions are not relevant in solving the actual problems existing. A new narrative may work in theory but will not be relevant to our times because democracy will divide liberals into those who agree and those who disagree the narrative which consequently shadows the relevance of the narrative. On the other hand, it is tempting to…show more content…
For instance, the European revolutions of 1848 have fundamentally shaped the world, and the effects brought on them are still being felt. The revolution brought about two world wars, and many countries still quarrel over boundary disputes formed during this time leading to a huge level of political and social turmoil in Europe. Major countries were affected, monarchies were overthrown and new countries such as Germany and Italy had formed as a result of the spread of nationalist politics of the era. Most of the liberal ideas which were considered revolutionary at the time have become common practices in countries at the era. In order for a new narrative to succeed, the timing must be appropriate and the need for the new story must be of bigger concern. With the 1932 election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as president, the United States ushered in a new era of liberalism. Roosevelt’s set of government initiatives, known as the New Deal, tried to slow down the effects of the Great Depression and prevent the possibility of another such economic catastrophe. In 1949, Arthur Schlesinger’s book, politics of freedom with the concept of the vital center defends liberal democracy and state regulated market economy against the totalitarianism of communism and fascism few years after the Second World War. We can propose a similar story about the
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