Liberal democracy combines liberalism and democracy. Liberalism focuses on individual liberty and limited government interference, while democracy means rule by the people. Key thinkers like Locke, Mill, and Bentham influenced the development of liberal democracy in Europe by advocating for concepts like limited monarchy, representative government, and maximizing happiness. However, liberalism is an economic concept focused on capitalism, while democracy is political. This led to tensions as socialism emerged as an alternative. Now, liberal democracy has become the dominant model, but post-colonial nations face challenges in institutionalizing its principles of development, democracy, and inclusiveness.

1. Liberal Democracy
Presented by
Amit Kumar Gupta
Research Scholar
Department of Political Science
School of Social Sciences, GGV

2. Introduction
 Democracy is a system where peoples participation are assured .
 Democracy can be procedural and substantive. Democracy is system
where all the form of governments are justified.
 Despite a normative concept it is a subjective idea and notion
 Liberalism has literally meaning that liberalize system or free market
system. Every human being is rational being so liberalism want that
every human should be free and it talk about individual
liberty, equality and Laissez fair, it means minimum
interference in individual sphere (political, economic and
social sphere)
 Liberalism tried to protect the capitalist ethos and spirit hence a form
of government in the name of democracy was justified in Europe

3. Liberal Democracy
Liberalism
Liberal
Democracy
Democracy

4. Liberal
Democracy
Liberalism
Individual
liberty
Reasoning
and Laissez
fair
A form of
Governme
nt
Democracy
The
individua
l who is
hold
power

5. Factors responsible for the idea
 Renaissance- „Humanism was given Importance‟
 Enlightenment – „Belief in reason and rational (discovering
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the truth)‟
Reformation – „Challenge to the Authority of church‟
Rise of Capitalist Class- Mode of production now is change
and emergence of new middle class‟
Industrial Revolution- „Surplus production ‟
British revolution(1640-1660) -The idea of constitutional
Monarchy
American revolution (1776)- „Declaration of Independence‟
the idea of representation
French revolution (1789)- „Declaration of the Right of man
and the Citizen‟

6. Liberalism
Liberalism has both sense negative and positive sense
Negative sense- promote individual liberty, Laissez fair
means, minimum interference in individual sphere
(political, economic and social sphere) and State as „Trustee‟
means „Minimum Government and Minimum Regulation‟
John Locke(1632-1704), Adam Smith(1723-90) and Jeremy Bentham
(1748-1832)
Positive sense means ensure political participation of the worker
class. Regulation to property the name of welfare state.
Given the idea of Representative Government and also gave the
concept about individual speech, expression and conduct and gave
the idea about Adult Franchise system .
J. S. Mill(1806-73), T. H. Green(1836-82)

7.  John Locke derived the concept of Limited Monarchy/
Sovereignty.
 Jeremy Bentham gave the idea about Greatest
happiness of the Greatest number. The whole concept
of Bentham is to established the democratic system as
“ Rule of Majority”.
 J.S. Mill gave the idea about Representative
Government and also gave the concept about
individual speech, expression and conduct And gave
the idea about Adult Franchise system .

8. Relationship between Liberalism and Democracy
 The idea of liberalism and democracy is often looked as
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compatible term but there is one important difference
Liberalism is an economic concept and democracy is
political concept.
Liberalism tried to protect the capitalist ethos and spirit
hence a form of government in the name of democracy was
justified in Europe
This idea worked well till 2nd world war
Post world war era is a changed one where there are failure
of liberal institutions
Here is coming the notion of „End of Ideology‟ –(1960)
Hence socialism was looked as an alternative to liberal/
capitalist idea

9.  This conflict goes on up to the disintegration of USSR in
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1989-90
Fukuyama (1992) talked about the „End of History‟
Now development and democracy was the only alternative
Hence the idea of liberal democracy gains an important role
„Liberalism was socialized‟ and „socialism was liberalized‟
The role of „welfare state‟ is coming
In that process now there are a big challenge for the post
colonial or third world nations in institutionalizing the idea
of liberal democracy
Hence there has to be an alternative mechanism through
which the notion of development and democracy with
inclusivity and sustainability can be assured.

10. References:
Dube S. D. : Modernization and Development- The Search
for Alternative Paradigms (New Delhi,Vistaar, 1988)
Hacker A. : Political – Philosophy, Ideology and Science
(Toronto, Macmillan, 1997)
Held D: Models of Democracy (Cambridge, Polity
Press, 1994)
The life and Times of Liberal Democracy(Oxford University
Press, 1977)
Mohanty M.: Contemporary Indian Political Theory(New
Delhi,Samskriti, 2002).

11. Thanks