Liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism:
Origin: During eighteenth and nineteenth centuries liberal philosophers debated the difficulties
of establishing just, orderly and peaceful relations between peoples. One of the most systematic
and thoughtful accounts of the problems of world peace was produced by the German
philosopher Immanuel Kant in 1795 in an essay entitled Perpetual Peace. . Kantian thought has ‘Liberal pluralists’
pointed to the
been profoundly influential in the development of liberalism in IR. growing
Important Philosophers: Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Jeremy Bentham, John importance of
multinational
Stuart Mill and John Maynard Keynes. corporations
Core Concept: This liberal or idealist enterprise rested on the beliefs that people in general are (MNCs), non-
governmental
inherently good and have no interest in prosecuting wars with one another. Furthermore, people organizations
suffer greatly as a consequence of war and thus desire dialogue over belligerence. Therefore, for (NGOs), pressure
groups, and
idealists all that was needed to end war was respect for the rule of law and stable institutions intergovernmental
which could provide some form of international order conducive to peace and security. organizations
(IGOs), as evidence
Following the Second World War, idealism fell out of favour for a long period of time. The that states were
decline in the popularity of idealism was partly encouraged by the failure of The League of no longer the only
significant actors
Nations to act as a forum for resolving differences peacefully and as a mechanism to prevent in international
inter-state conflict. relations
There have been many innovations in liberal theory since the 1970s. For example, idealism,
pluralism, interdependence theory, transnationalism, liberal internationalism, liberal peace theory,
neo-liberal institutionalism and world society approaches.
Liberal internationalism: the belief that political activity should be framed in terms of a
universal human condition rather than in relation to the particularities of any given nation.
Liberalism has something to say about all aspects of human life. In terms of liberal philosophy,
liberalism is based upon a belief in the inherently good nature of all humans, the ultimate value of
individual liberty and the possibility of human progress. Liberalism speaks the language of
rationality, moral autonomy, human rights, democracy, opportunity and choice and is founded
upon a commitment to principles of liberty and equality, justified in the name of individuality and
rationality.