Liberalism

What Liberalism covers

Covers the ideology built on the individual: what liberals mean by freedom, equality and a limited state, how classical and modern liberals came to disagree, and the thinkers from Locke to Friedan who set out the case.

The 6 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Individualism, equality and the liberal stateRecall questions on foundational, formal and opportunity equality, the social contract, the mechanistic state, tolerance and the two kinds of individualism.Open →
• Freedom, the rule of law and limited governmentRecall questions on liberty under the law and the devices liberals rely on to protect it: constitutional government, the rule of law, separation of powers and civil liberties.Open →
• Rationalism, social justice and liberal democracyRecall questions on rationalism and progress, why liberals accept opportunity but not outcome equality, and why they are both committed to and wary of democracy.Open →
• Differing views and tensions within liberalismRecall questions on how classical and modern liberals split over the state, the economy and what freedom requires.Open →
• Locke, Wollstonecraft and MillRecall questions on Locke's social contract and limited government, Wollstonecraft on women's reason and education, and Mill's harm principle and defence of dissent.Open →
• Rawls, Friedan and modern liberalismRecall questions on the enabling state, Rawls on justice and the veil of ignorance, and Friedan on legal equality and the barriers that held women back from their potential.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Liberalism further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Classical liberalism vs Modern liberalism

  Classical liberalism: individual liberty protected through limited government. Modern liberalism: individual development supported through enabling government.

• Negative freedom vs Positive freedom

  Negative freedom: absence of external restraint. Positive freedom: capacity to achieve personal potential.

• Tolerance vs Permissiveness

  Tolerance: acceptance of views one may dislike. Permissiveness: absence of meaningful moral restriction.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is foundational equality as one of the three types of equality emphasised by liberals?

   Model answer

   The belief that all human beings are born with equal natural rights and inherent worth.

2. 2

   Define formal equality as understood by liberals.

   Model answer

   The principle that all individuals should be treated the same under the law and have equal legal and political rights.

3. 3

   What does equality of opportunity mean in liberalism?

   Model answer

   The principle that all individuals should have the same chance to rise or fall in society based on their talents and efforts, rather than circumstances of birth.

4. 4

   How do liberals explain the legitimacy of the state through the social contract?

   Model answer

   The state derives its legitimacy from an agreement among individuals who consent to be governed in exchange for protection of their rights.

5. 5

   What is meritocracy?

   Model answer

   A system in which advancement and rewards are distributed according to individual ability and achievement rather than inherited privilege.

6. 6

   What is the mechanistic theory of the state?

   Model answer

   The view that the state is a machine or device created by individuals to serve specific purposes, rather than an organic entity with its own goals.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Liberalism revision questions

What does Liberalism cover in Edexcel A-Level Politics?

6 subtopics: individualism, equality and the liberal state, freedom, the rule of law and limited government, rationalism, social justice and liberal democracy, differing views and tensions within liberalism, locke, wollstonecraft and mill and rawls, friedan and modern liberalism. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Liberalism organised?

By the Edexcel 9PL0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.