Liberalism is an ideology that generally supports limited government, individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), capitalism (free markets), private property, representative democracy, secularism, legal gender equality, legal racial equality, internationalism, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion.
History
Proto-Liberalism
Liberalism has very similar origins to libertarian socialism, both being movements defending the ideals of freedom and equality.
Criticism
Liberalism has been criticised by socialists (authoritarian and libertarian) for not taking an active stance against capitalism and it's hypocritical usage of violence. Liberal governments frequently directly or indirectly conduct massive atrocities against their own civilians and those of other countries via colonialism and neo-colonialism.
List of Liberal States
Based on the 'Democracy Index', listing 'Full Democracies' and 'Flawed Democracies' compiled in the UK.[1] Although we have excluded Singapore for it's nature as a one-party state.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guyana
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Mongolia
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Timor-Leste
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
Criticism
Main Article: Contradictions of Liberalism