Relevance Of Liberalism

This book discusses the development of liberalism as a historical phenomenon, the social and economic conditions that sustain liberal institutions and values, the various elements of liberalism as a system of ideas, and the relationship between liberalism and democracy.



This volume is the product of a conference held at theResearch Institute on International Change on 21 January1976. The subject of the conference, the relevance of liberalism in the contemporary world, represents one aspect of the institute's research focus on changes in values and the impact of these changes on international affairs. This focus reflects the belief that we are living in a time when the sudden expansion in popular political consciousness is altering fundamentally the ways in which politics is perceived, in which political values are translated into political action, and in which political movements and moods transcend state boundaries and thus have worldwide repercussions. Together these changes may result in profound discontinuities in political behavior, in social institutions, and in the basic values around which institutions and procedures are shaped.