Changes

==Etymology==

==Etymology==

[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English], from Anglo-French, from Latin liberalis  suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._600-1100.09THE_OLD_ENGLISH.2C_OR_ANGLO-SAXON_PERIOD Old English] lēodan to [[grow]], [[Greek]] eleutheros [[free]]

[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English], from Anglo-French, from Latin liberalis  suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._600-1100.09THE_OLD_ENGLISH.2C_OR_ANGLO-SAXON_PERIOD Old English] lēodan to [[grow]], [[Greek]] eleutheros [[free]]

*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Century 14th century]

*Date: [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Century 14th century]

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1 a : of, relating to, or based on the liberal [[arts]] <liberal [[education]]>  

*1 a : of, relating to, or based on the liberal [[arts]] <liberal [[education]]>  

*3 obsolete : lacking [[moral]] restraint : licentious

*3 obsolete : lacking [[moral]] restraint : licentious

*4 : not [[literal]] or strict : loose <a liberal [[translation]]>

*4 : not [[literal]] or strict : loose <a liberal [[translation]]>

*5 : broad-minded; especially : not bound by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianism authoritarianism], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodoxy orthodoxy], or [[tradition]]al [[forms]]

*5 : broad-minded; especially : not bound by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianism authoritarianism], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodoxy orthodoxy], or [[tradition]]al [[forms]]

*6 a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism  

*6 a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism  

:b capitalized : of or constituting a [[political]] party advocating or [[associated]] with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with [[ideals]] of [[individual]] especially [[economic]] [[freedom]], greater [[individual]] [[participation]] in [[government]], and [[constitutional]], [[political]], and [[administrative]] reforms [[designed]] to secure these objectives

:b capitalized : of or constituting a [[political]] party advocating or [[associated]] with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with [[ideals]] of [[individual]] especially [[economic]] [[freedom]], greater [[individual]] [[participation]] in [[government]], and [[constitutional]], [[political]], and [[administrative]] reforms [[designed]] to secure these objectives

==Description==

==Description==

'''Liberalism''' (from the Latin liberalis, "of [[freedom]]") is the [[belief]] in the importance of liberty and [[equality]]. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their [[understanding]] of these principles, but most liberals support such [[fundamental]] [[ideas]] as [[constitutions]], liberal [[democracy]], free and fair elections, human rights, free trade, secularism, and the market economy. These [[ideas]] are often accepted even among political [[groups]] that do not openly profess a liberal [[ideological]] orientation. Liberalism [[encompasses]] several [[intellectual]] [[trends]] and [[traditions]], but the dominant variants are classical liberalism, which became popular in the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Century 18th century], and social liberalism, which became popular in the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century 20th century].

'''Liberalism''' (from the Latin liberalis, "of [[freedom]]") is the [[belief]] in the importance of liberty and [[equality]]. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their [[understanding]] of these principles, but most liberals support such [[fundamental]] [[ideas]] as [[constitutions]], liberal [[democracy]], free and fair elections, human rights, free trade, secularism, and the market economy. These [[ideas]] are often accepted even among political [[groups]] that do not openly profess a liberal [[ideological]] orientation. Liberalism [[encompasses]] several [[intellectual]] [[trends]] and [[traditions]], but the dominant variants are classical liberalism, which became popular in the [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Century 18th century], and social liberalism, which became popular in the [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century 20th century].

Liberalism first became a [[powerful]] [[force]] in the [[Age of Enlightenment]], rejecting several [[foundational]] [[assumptions]] that dominated most earlier [[theories]] of [[government]], such as hereditary [[status]], established [[religion]], absolute [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy monarchy], and the Divine Right of Kings. The early liberal thinker [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke John Locke], who is often credited for the [[creation]] of liberalism as a distinct [[philosophical]] [[tradition]], employed the [[concept]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_rights natural rights] and the social contract to argue that the rule of [[law]] should replace [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolutism_(European_history) absolutism] in [[government]], that rulers were subject to the consent of the governed, and that [[private]] [[individuals]] had a fundamental right to life, liberty, and property.

Liberalism first became a [[powerful]] [[force]] in the [[Age of Enlightenment]], rejecting several [[foundational]] [[assumptions]] that dominated most earlier [[theories]] of [[government]], such as hereditary [[status]], established [[religion]], absolute [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy monarchy], and the Divine Right of Kings. The early liberal thinker [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke John Locke], who is often credited for the [[creation]] of liberalism as a distinct [[philosophical]] [[tradition]], employed the [[concept]] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_rights natural rights] and the social contract to argue that the rule of [[law]] should replace [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolutism_(European_history) absolutism] in [[government]], that rulers were subject to the consent of the governed, and that [[private]] [[individuals]] had a fundamental right to life, liberty, and property.

The revolutionaries in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution American Revolution] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution French Revolution] used liberal [[philosophy]] to justify the [[violent]] overthrow of [[tyrannical]] rule, paving the way for the [[development]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_history modern history] in tandem with liberal history. The [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_Century 19th century] saw liberal governments established in nations across Europe, Latin America, and North America. Liberal power increased even further in the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century 20th century], when liberal democracies triumphed in two world wars and survived major [[ideological]] [[challenges]] from [[fascism]] and [[communism]].

The revolutionaries in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution American Revolution] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution French Revolution] used liberal [[philosophy]] to justify the [[violent]] overthrow of [[tyrannical]] rule, paving the way for the [[development]] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_history modern history] in tandem with liberal history. The [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_Century 19th century] saw liberal governments established in nations across Europe, Latin America, and North America. Liberal power increased even further in the [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century 20th century], when liberal democracies triumphed in two world wars and survived major [[ideological]] [[challenges]] from [[fascism]] and [[communism]].

[[Conservatism]] and [[fundamentalism]], however, remain powerful opponents of liberalism. Today, liberals are [[organized]] [[politically]] on all major continents. They have played a decisive role in the [[growth]] of republics, the spread of [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights civil rights] and civil liberties, the establishment of the modern welfare state, the [[institution]] of religious toleration and religious [[freedom]], and the [[development]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization globalization]. To highlight the importance of liberalism in modern life, political scientist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Wolfe Alan Wolfe] claimed that "liberalism is the answer for which modernity is the question"[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism]

[[Conservatism]] and [[fundamentalism]], however, remain powerful opponents of liberalism. Today, liberals are [[organized]] [[politically]] on all major continents. They have played a decisive role in the [[growth]] of republics, the spread of [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights civil rights] and civil liberties, the establishment of the modern welfare state, the [[institution]] of religious toleration and religious [[freedom]], and the [[development]] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization globalization]. To highlight the importance of liberalism in modern life, political scientist [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Wolfe Alan Wolfe] claimed that "liberalism is the answer for which modernity is the question"[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism]

==See also==

==See also==

*'''''[[Conservatism]]'''''

*'''''[[Conservatism]]'''''

[[Category: Political Science]]

[[Category: Political Science]]