In 2012, through the efforts of the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), a survey was conducted, during which Russians were asked to clarify who a liberal is. More than half of the participants in this test (or rather, 56%) found it difficult to disclose the term. It is unlikely that in a few years this situation has radically changed, and therefore let's consider what principles liberalism professes and what exactly this social, political and philosophical current consists of.
Who is a liberal?
In the most general terms, one can say that a person who is an adherent of this trend, welcomes and approves of the idea of limited interference of state bodies in public relations. The basis of this system is based on the private entrepreneurial economy, which, in turn, is organized on market principles. Answering the question about who is a liberal, many experts say that this is the one who recognizes political, personal and economic freedom as the highest priority in the life of the state and society. For supporters of this ideology, freedom and the rights of each person are a kind of legal basis on which, in their opinion, an economic and social order should be built. Now let us examine who is a liberal democrat. This is a person who, in defending freedom, is an opponent of authoritarianism. Liberal democracy, according to Western political scientists - is an ideal that many developed countries are striving for. However, this term can be spoken not only from the point of view of politics. In their original meaning, this word was used to name all free-thinkers and freethinkers. Sometimes in their number fell and those who in the society was prone to excessive indulgence.
Modern liberals
As an independent world view, the ideological current under consideration arose at the end of the 17th century. The basis for its development was the works of such famous authors as S. Montesquieu, J. Locke, A. Smith and J. Mill. At that time, it was believed that freedom of enterprise and non-interference of the state in private life would inevitably lead to prosperity and improvement of the well-being of society. However, as it turned out later, the classical model of liberalism did not justify itself. Free, uncontrolled by the state competition led to the emergence of monopolies that inflated prices. Interest groups of lobbyists appeared in politics. All this made it impossible for legal equality and significantly narrowed the possibilities for all who wanted to do business. In the 80-90's. The ideas of liberalism began to experience a serious crisis in the 19th century. As a result of long theoretical searches in the early 20th century, a new concept was developed, called neoliberalism or social liberalism. Its supporters advocate protecting the individual from negative consequences and abuses in the market system. In classical liberalism, the state was something like a "night watchman." The modern liberals recognized that this was a mistake, and included in their program such ideas as:
- Limited government intervention in social and economic spheres;
- Control by the state over the activities of the monopolies;
- Participation of the masses in politics;
- Guarantees of a number of limited social rights (old-age benefit, the right to education, work, etc.);
- Consensus of the governed and managed;
- Political justice (democratization of decision-making in politics).
Russian liberals
In the political discussions of the modern Russian Federation, this current causes a lot of controversy. For some, liberals are conformists, playing up to the West, and for others - a panacea that can save the country from the undivided power of the state. This disparity is largely due to the fact that several varieties of this ideology operate simultaneously in Russia. The most notable of these are liberal fundamentalism (the representative is Alexei Venediktov, the chief executive of the Ekho Moskva station), neo-liberalism (the representative is Andrei Illarionov), social liberalism (the Yabloko party) and legal liberalism (the Republican Party and the PARNAS party).