theories liberalism

• Liberalism


  The dominant ideological force shaping western political thought, identified with western civilization itself
• Liberal ideas and theories had a considerable impact on the discipline of international relations as it took shape following WWI
• Liberal ideas drew on a much older tradition of 'idealist' theorizing which dates back to the Middle Ages and the ideas of early 'just war' thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas
• Liberalism was marginalized during the early post -1945 period due to the failure of the liberal inspired Versailles Settlement and the ascendancy of realist thought
• Liberal ideas nevertheless attracted growing attention from the 1970s onwards, often in the form of so-called neoliberalism
• The end of the Cold War, the growing impact of globalization and a new wave of democratization in the 1990s each gave liberal theory additional impetus
• Liberalism Theory is in part a reaction to realism, but also a response to a number of developments in the latter half of the 20th century that could not be explained by realism
• Decline in conflict


  • The number of deaths in battle had fallen to less than 10,000 in 2006 compared with 600,000 in 1951
  • The nature of conflict also had changed, from predominantly inter-state conflict (war between states) to intra-state conflict, or civil war
• Rise in democracy


  • By 2006, over half of all countries had become democracies
  • Democracies tend to be less aggressive than authoritarian regimes
  • According to democratic peace theory, no two democracies have ever been to war with each other
  • Since 2010 however there has been a reversal of democracy in Hungary, Burma, Russia and China, with these countries becoming more authoritarian and nationalist
• Growth in world trade

  • Worldwide exports were worth $629 million in 1960, by 2010 they were worth $30 trillion
  • States are becoming increasingly interdependent, which is thought to reduce the potential for conflict between them
  • States will not risk conflict if it jeopardises the sale of exports and the supply of imported goods
  • However, the policies of Donald Trump saw a return to some protectionist policies which restricted free trade with China
• Beliefs of liberalism


  • Nation States are increasingly linked by many organisations, from trade like the WTO or militarily like NATO or diplomatic like the UN
  • International law is desirable
  • A state's primary aim should not merely be to become more powerful, particularly not at the expense of other states
  • There is mutual benefit in states cooperating and working together on matters such as security, trade and development
  • Democracy plays a key role in keeping states safe and peaceful
  • International trade binds states together in common interests, making them more dependent on each other and reducing the likelihood of conflict
• the state has an important role to play in protecting individual rights but it must be limited by law so as not to infringe on those rights
• liberalism is the belief that people are rational, self-interested individuals who will act to maximise their own interests
• liberals believe that the state should intervene only when there is market failure or where there is a clear public good which cannot be provided through private enterprise
• liberals believe that individuals can best protect their own interests through cooperation rather than competition
• Liberals believe that the state exists to protect individual freedom and liberty
• liberals argue that international institutions promote cooperation among nations and prevent conflicts
• liberals support the idea of global governance whereby decisions affecting people worldwide are made collectively by representatives of different nation states
• Liberals argue that the state should only intervene when necessary to prevent harm to others
• Liberals argue that the state should protect individual freedom and liberty, including civil liberties and human rights
• The state should promote equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome
• Liberals argue that the state should promote equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome because this allows everyone to compete fairly.
• The state should ensure that all citizens have equal opportunities to succeed regardless of their background
• Liberals support international cooperation and globalisation because they see benefits in terms of economic growth and increased prosperity.
• The state should have a minimal role in society and should limit its intervention into economic affairs
• Liberals believe that the state should ensure equality of opportunity for all citizens
• WWI


  World War I (global conflict from 1914 to 1918)