THE ORDEAL OF LIBERALISM

The Ordeal of Liberalism: 1960-1968

The Ordeal of Liberalism: 1960-1968

Introduction

An often-amorphous term, the ordeal of liberalism emphasizes the rights of an individual against despotic power, whether state, corporate, or otherwise. The varieties of liberalism, such as classical, reform, and embedded, reflect divisions over which form of power to oppose and how best to do so. Although seemingly the dominant political philosophy in the U.S. during the early Cold War years, liberalism became by the subsequent Cold War era a term of opprobrium and disdain for many, whether the New Left from the 1960-1968. In contrast, liberalism in Canada was (and remains) the dominant national political philosophy throughout the Cold War. Meanwhile, in Western Europe, liberalism has played a minor role to socialism and social democracy, in terms of electoral strength, although several key classical liberal thinkers have come from Europe, such as Ludwig Von Mises(Kevin, 2006).

One difficulty in defining liberalism is that it has many variants often differing greatly from one another. This article sketches out five main variants key to understanding the role of liberalism during the Cold War, specifically and in rough chronological order: classical/laissez faire, reform, New Deal, embedded, and neoliberalism (Richard, 2005).

Discussion

The oldest form of liberalism, classical/laissez faire liberalism, emerged in Europe as an outgrowth of the Enlightenment and a response to the powers of monarchism and mercantilism, the latter a system of protectionist economic policies. Notable early liberal thinkers included John Stuart Mill, Adam Smith, and John Locke, and liberalism became especially popular among an emerging middle class of tradesmen and other merchants. Classical liberalism sought to restrain state power in both the economic and political spheres to a defined set of primary responsibilities. Its advocates sought to build a meritocracy in which talent rather than patronage would determine one's advancement, although their results usually fell far short of these lofty goals. Classical liberals could be self-interested, seeking government intervention in areas that suited their own personal interests while decrying burdensome regulations in other areas, and their conception of minority rights excluded many members of society. Nevertheless, the liberal ideal was a potent force taken up by a new breed of reformers from the early twentieth century who developed reform liberalism (Richard, 2005).

Reform liberalism, closely associated with and frequently overlapping with the U.S. Progressive movement, sought an expanded state role in economic and social affairs than did the earlier classical liberals. While classical liberals feared state power, particularly economic, as the fundamental impediment to individual liberty, these reform liberals sought to harness the powers of the state to redress social and economic inequalities that they viewed as a greater threat to individual rights. (Mark L, 2000) Although a diffuse collection of interests and beliefs, reform liberals viewed, broadly speaking, corporate power and monopolies as a greater threat than state power, which could be used to redress structural inequalities, promote fair competition, and ensure a minimal standard of protection and social welfare.

As Alan Brinkley has argued, New Deal liberalism emerged from this reformist tradition ...