THE CHALLENCE OF LIBERALISM IN EUROPE

This text reflects on the challenges of liberal democracy in Europe.

It observes that although European societies are diverse, certain political forces seek homogeneity and hierarchy.

Extremist movements and populism challenge the fundamental principles of liberal democracy, such as the rule of law and minority rights.

Additionally, illiberal global actors like China and Russia, as well as crises such as the pandemic, weaken the image of democracies.

The author calls for reflection on the foundations of liberal democracy and ways to address these challenges.

The EU proposes research that analyzes trends in the elements of liberal democracy and the factors influencing them, in order to create a sustainable understanding of the future of liberal democracy.

This text discusses the challenges of liberal democracy in Europe. It notes that although European societies are diverse, some political forces strive for homogeneity and hierarchy.

LIBERALS’ GREAT TASK IS TO SAVE THE WORLD.WE NEED AN ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE AND RESPONSIBLEFREEDOM TO PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL.

New camps are being established around the world.In the West, there is a desire to defend liberal democracy.

It would be useful to understand what liberalism actually is.

It is important to understand liberalism because it is used to justify major decisions that govern our lives, economy, and societal structures. The word "liberalism" has spread as a reference under which even groups with little actual liberalism rush in, benefiting from tax-free travel on the backs of others.

The American way of dividing people and their values into liberals and conservatives has spread to Europe, even to the point where values have become confused. Liberalism is inherently a difficult ideological structure for political use due to its non-dogmatic nature.

Definition of Liberalism

There is no single approach to liberalism, as with any other ideology, that tells us everything we want to know about it. Nor is there one easy definition that covers all its manifestations.

Liberalism is a movement that emphasizes individual rights but opposes excessive state interference in individuals' lives and economic activities.

Liberalism has been a flourishing sociophilosophical current since the 19th century, encompassing various views on the state, society, politics, and the economy. However, liberalism is the choice of the few. There is little evidence that liberalism has been widely accepted in most parts of the world.

While we strive toward liberal democracy, we also face ideologies based on religion, forms of radical populism, authoritarian states rooted in religion and governance, and of course, various conservative regimes.

According to the definition of liberalism, individual freedom is a fundamental and natural norm of communal life that determines culture, law, the economy, and broadly the entire social system.

John Locke's (1632–1704) principles of "life, liberty, and property" have been widely accepted.

Liberalism emphasizes the freedom of entrepreneurship and free markets in the economy, as well as open-mindedness and tolerance in culture.

In its various forms, it inherits both the Enlightenment’s faith in progress and Romanticism’s quest for individuality, becoming the dominant current as the bourgeoisie rose to power in the 19th century."It may be more precise to speak of liberalisms in the plural: all liberalisms belong to a broad family that shares similarities but also differences. Many members of the liberal family share common features, but some are barely on speaking terms." (Michael Freeden)

Liberalism, or open-mindedness, represented – and still represents – an ideology opposed to conservatism. Its roots lay in Enlightenment thought and the ideals of the French Revolution.

Enlightenment thinkers elevated the individual and advocated for principles of self-determination. In liberal ideology, the people's interest was placed above that of the monarch. Freedom was promoted in the name of expanding freedom of speech and voting rights.

The bourgeoisie and the educated elite were the main supporters of liberal views. The ideology mainly appealed to the middle class.

Liberalism's Background in the Pursuit of Equality

Every person was considered equal, regardless of the social class into which they were born.

The political freedom advocated by liberalism also affected the economy. Economic liberalism favored free trade, minimal state intervention, and the reduction of tariffs.

THE LIBERAL HOME

Michael Freeden writes:“When people first used the word liberal in the sense of ‘generous’ or ‘broad-minded,’ little did they suspect what a powerful wave liberalism would eventually unleash. Some hints of liberalism’s future were evident when the term was associated with open-mindedness and tolerance.

Since the term liberales was developed in Spain two hundred years ago as the name for a political party, liberalism has firmly stood on the public stage: a battle cry for individuals who long for a space to be free from unwarranted restrictions, and a set of foundational institutional arrangements intended to justify and refine the practices of politics.

The word has come to refer primarily to ideas and practices aimed at reforming, liberating, and opening opportunities for individuals who want to live their lives according to their own understanding. Like all ideologies and collective belief systems, liberalism competes for public recognition and application, and like all of them, it has been disparaged from many directions.”

Social Liberalism and Its Impact

“Social liberalism – along with some Scandinavian counterparts – also arose in Britain over a century ago, examining the conditions for individual development and growth when supported by networks of mutual aid and interdependence.

The modern welfare state emerged from this branch of liberalism. It is particularly confusing, however, that ‘neo-’ and ‘new’ liberalisms pull in very different directions.

Neoliberalism – mostly a product of the latter half of the 20th century – emphasizes the beneficial outcomes of competitive markets and individual advancement far more than the general well-being of humanity.”

Freeden poses these questions:

• “Does liberalism concern increasing individual freedom, or treating everyone with equal respect?

• Is it about limiting harm to others or enabling human flourishing?

• Is it about being more humane, or more productive?

• Is there a true liberalism surrounded by obscure imitations?

• Have other ideologies picked apart liberalism like vultures, taking selected parts and leaving the rest to decay?”