What do you understand by Liberalism ? Describe their ideas in the political, social and economic spheres.
(1) The term ‘liberalism’ is derived from the Latin word liber, meaning free. Thus, for the new middle classes, liberalism stood for freedom for the individual and equality of all before “law. (2) Political and economic ideas supported by the liberals were as given below : (1) Political ideas : It emphasised the concept of government by consent. Since the French Revolution, liberalism stood for the end of autocracy and clerical privileges, a constitution and representative government through parliament. They did not necessarily stand for universal suffrage. In revolutionary France, which was the first example of liberal democracy, the right to vote and election was exclusively granted to property-owning men. Men without property and women were not granted political rights. Thus in the 19th and 20th centuries there were movements demanding equal political rights. (2) Economic ideas : They supported freedom of markets and the abolition of state- imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital. During the 19th century this was a strong demand of the emerging middle classes.
