Liberalism in USA, Europe and Finland

The world is now largely dominated by the doctrine of a single economic ideology. However, neoliberalism has begun to sour in the hands of its abusers.

Neoliberalism is known by many names, including supply-side economics, where supply itself creates demand, and the best results are achieved by accelerating markets and fostering continuous growth. In this pursuit, everything is subordinated to the maximization of freedom for the markets. This doctrine has also been referred to as "voodoo economics," the "Chicago school" of Friedmanism, and as neo- or neoliberalism.

Neoliberal ideas arrived in Europe and Finland internationally in the 1980s, when conservative leaders Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher began implementing "neoliberal" principles in their countries.

Since then, it has been followed and disseminated on global economic cooperation forums, especially after the collapse of the communist Soviet system.

These reforms gained legitimacy from institutions like the OECD, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the European Union and its Central Bank. In economic discussions, this allowed people to say, "it seems to work the same elsewhere."

After the fall of socialism, a paradox emerged where capitalism, having won the competition between economic systems, began to declare a singular, "correct" doctrine, similar to the Soviet era.

In Finland, a turning point occurred in 1987 when the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) returned to government after a long period out of power, and the Social Democrats shifted their stance. The government led by Harri Holkeri and Erkki Liikanen (1987–91) first started corporatizing public entities, which subsequent governments aimed to privatize.

After the economic recession of the early 1990s, Finland shifted towards public administration that emulated the functioning of markets. The administration of the state and municipalities has been privatized, outsourced, and made as market-like as possible, with the National Coalition Party leading this process, while the Centre Party and Social Democrats gradually acquiesced.

Liberalism appeared in European discourse in the 19th century as a political ideology aiming to dismantle class-based societies and mercantilist economic systems.

Since the collapse of Marxism, liberalism has gained increasing traction, no longer requiring the right to be stern clerics. In the Americas, politics is sharply divided between liberals and conservatives, often within parties themselves rather than strictly between the right and the left. Due to the growing economic and scientific power of the United States, American-style liberalism has effectively conquered even Europe.

Liberalism in Europe, Finland and USA

According to Kari Saastamoinen, Americans view liberalism in only two ways: either as economic liberalism – i.e., neoliberalism – or as philosophical liberalism born in the United States, with John Rawls, the famous author of the theory of justice, being its main representative.

However, Saastamoinen concludes differently. He argues that liberalism originated from the political conflicts of 19th-century Europe, which the United States never experienced. Americanism is, in reality, an idealistic branch of European liberalism.

Unlike European liberalism, which focuses on practical political problems, American liberalism is rooted in human nature and universal human rights. Its proponents believe this common foundation can be applied to all nations, regardless of their historical and cultural differences.

Our new generation of political leaders in Finland has grown up in a welfare state.

Poverty and hardship are foreign concepts to them; education, a high standard of living, technology, and internationalism have been part of their entire adult lives, not skills they had to learn later in life as with the older generations.

This is already reflected in politics, not as a change, but as homogenization, where the ideological pull toward centrism and liberal values has increased. Despite this, the core sentiment among the younger leaders' ranks is more morally or class-conservative.

The new generation of politicians, including Jyrki Katainen, Jutta Urpilainen, Mari Kiviniemi, Juha Sipilä, Paavo Arhinmäki, Antti Rinne, Ville Niinistö, Alexander Stubb, Petteri Orpo, Sanna Marin, Anna-Maja Henriksson, and Li Andersson, are, with the exception of Riikka Purra and Jussi Halla-aho, generally moderate liberals and tolerant.

The political divide between the left and right is fading, and even the traditional distinction between liberals and conservatives is harder to define in Finnish politics than before.

In modern media, the most common measure of liberalism has been attitudes towards sexual minorities – a rather narrow measure of liberalism.

In nearly all major parties, excluding the Finns Party, (Perussuomalaiset), basic liberal thinking prevails. It seems that way, but it's questionable if one earns the label of "liberal" solely through the acceptance of sexual minorities or by belonging to them.

Liberal democracy in Europe has traveled a long and bloody path and faces serious challenges ahead.

Liberalism is tolerant in its view of humanity. In international cooperation, it emphasizes the equal rights and dignity of all people, opposing oligarchy, restrictions on freedom, and environmental degradation. It stresses the ecological principle – the harmony between human actions and nature’s capacity for renewal – as the core of modern decision-making and a path to salvation.

Liberals should be divided into two main camps: classical, conservative market liberals and progressive global citizens, or social liberals.

This division occurred in the 19th century.

Both branches of liberalism support value-based liberalism and individual freedom, but they interpret freedom in fundamentally different ways.

Liberalism is about individual and economic freedom according to the constraints of nature and human abilities, grounded in responsibility, equality, and justice.

Social liberalism emerged from democracy and a belief in the individual's ability to make responsible decisions, both in their community and in their economic activities.

The ideological roots of European social liberalism lie in British and French Enlightenment philosophy, while its practical roots are found in the American colonies' fight for independence from England and the French Revolution, where many of the writers of these theses were the same.

Liberty, fraternity, equality.

To understand the "structural reforms" taking place today – the oversight and control imposed on us – it's helpful to know their ideological underpinnings. At the same time, we gain insight into how American political values have influenced us and are indluencing European libealism just now.

Social liberals favor the welfare state model over market doctrine, believing it enhances individuals' real freedom of choice.

The values of Finnish social liberalism include radical ideas about tolerance, community – local and corporate democracy – women's rights, the rule of law, respect for the law, freedom of organization, immigration, freedom of religion, acceptance of abortion, rights for homosexuals, and social responsibility among all people, extending to the idea of an ecological principle in the economy – that is, the undisturbed relationship between human actions and nature's cyclical processes.