Modern Ideologies Essay: Liberalism, Communism, Socialism

Modern liberalism is an ideology that emerged in the 17th century that is between 1800-1900. Modern liberals believe and seek individual liberties. When we are looking at individual liberties we are looking at the people having the liberty and they are free from any external restraint when they are exercising their rights especially the rights that are considered to be outside the government. Modern liberalism bases their arguments on having equality, economic freedom, limited and democratic government and the rule of law. This ideology is not completely a collectivist idea nor an individualistic form. Modern liberalism allows utilitarianism that is looking at what favors or works best for the society. This means that modern liberals allow people to own private property but how will the property help the society. Hence we can say that modern liberals are communists though not much as they look at how a private property can benefit the society.

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Classical liberalism on the other hand looks at individual natural rights. Individuals have the right to own private property for themselves. This ideology is also based on liberty and that the individual natural rights are directed against the government. The main idea in classical liberalism is that they work to limit the government. They believe in owning a private property as something that is a fundamental right. They will work hard to limit the government so that they can protect the natural right they have to own private property. This means that they will always protect the private property and this is their point of departure from communism. The classical liberals understand that the government has to work but they will limit it to protect their private property. We can therefore say in summary that the classical liberalism has less trusting attitude towards the government. They do not fully trust the government and that is why they limit it.

Communism was an ideology that came around the 19th century as a reply to the growing industrialization. It is a form of socialism but it looks more advanced and higher. What communists usually believe is that inequality and suffering is usually as a result of capitalism. The capitalists will have all businesses owned by private people. This means that the private corporations will take charge of all the means of production. The communists main goal is usually to create a class void of state or class. In capitalism the bourgeoisie have the means of production and the communists main goal is usually to take away the power from the ruling class and give it to the Proletariat who are usually the workers in the factories. These are the people who use factories but they don't own the factories because they are owned by the ruling class.

Socialism is an ideology that looks like communism but it is not communism. It is a political and economic ideology that advocates and fights for the means of production and exchange to be owned by the community not an individual. This means that the means of production have to be owned by the society as a whole. The value that is made from is to be celebrated by the whole society and not a private individual. Socialists believe in having direct control and management of the industries and the social services and they get the services through a democratic government and they have nationwide economic organization. In socialism the main focus is equality and workers receive what they need to produce as well as survive and it provides no incentive hence there is usually little motivation in socialism.

To me the best ideology is classical liberalism because there is liberty and that they limit the government from the private ownership of the property. Owning a private property in classical liberalism is a fundamental right and the government is limited so as they can protect the private property.