Liberal Democracy

A form of government in which the decision-making powers of elected representatives is subject to the rule of law and a constitution that protects the rights and freedoms of the constituency. Liberal democracy is the dominant form of modern democracies, including the United States.

The concept of a liberal democracy originated in the Age of Enlightenment in Europe in the 18th century. At that time, many governments were led by monarchies. Several political philosophers, however, likened the monarchy to a tyranny in which rule was often arbitrary and despotic. They offered a different ideal of a government whereby individuals' rights were paramount and superseded the impositions of government. This ideal, known as liberalism, inspired the American and French Revolutions in the late 18th century.

A liberal democracy contains constitutional protections of individual rights against government power, consistent with the liberal ideal. In addition, the natural condition of the individual in a liberal democracy is independence and solitude, and individuals are separate, autonomous, and free agents. Thus, the chief concern of liberal democracies is conflict. Autonomous individuals living in private and separate spaces are the stakeholders, and conflict is their characteristic mode of interaction, whether the conflict be over scarce resources or hunger for power and glory.

Freedom is one of the hallmarks of liberal democracies. Specifically, liberal democracies are interested in the removal of interferences by [Page 291]government or other individuals to allow individuals to choose their own ends. Freedom further entails the absence of political constraints on individual action. The language of freedom can be found throughout the U.S. Constitution. These freedoms include the freedom of speech, of assembly, to bear arms, of the press, to vote, and of education. Other freedoms found in liberal democracies include due process, privacy, civil liberties, and property ownership.