Opposition to Liberalism

By: Emily Jeong

Luddites

Luddism: a social protest movement that occurred during the early 1800’s. The protestors broke into factories and destroyed machines as a response to the Industrial Revolution. They felt these machines were leaving them unemployed. Luddites believed that machines should not replace the work an individual can do.

Although the existence of Ned Lud has not been proven, the story of him purposely smashing two knitting frames was the inspiration for the Luddites.

“I think the human race made a big mistake at the beginning of the industrial revolution, we leaped for the mechanical things, people need the use of their hands to feel creative.” –Andre Norton

“First man made hammer, then hammer made man.” –Marshall McLulan

I believe Luddism belongs in the Liberalism ice cream store because this ideology focuses on the individual. They believe that the individual rather than a machine should do work and Luddism is against cheap labor.

Chartists

Chartists intended to correct the inequities remaining after the Reform act.

Chartism is the ideology that caused the movement for political and social reform in Britain from 1838-1848.

Beliefs: People’s Charter of 1838

1) A man who is 21 years of age will be able to vote with no punishments.2) Equal sized electoral districts ensuring the same amount of representation

for each vote.3) Voting by secret ballots will protect the elector from his vote.4) An end to the need for property qualification for parliament.5) Pay for members of parliament6) Annual elections.

William Lovett was one of the main thinkers towards Chartism. He was also one of the leading London-based Artisan Radicals of his time.

This ideology would be included in the liberalism ice cream shop because the charter is all about equality of the individual. When an individual would vote, this charter secured the fact that they would be able to with no punishments and their ballots would be confidential.

“Free admission was given to all who came cleanly in clothing and person; the education given being reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar and geography will such other kinds of information as was in our power to bestow.” -William Lovett

“A man willing to work, and unable to find work is perhaps the saddest sight that fortune’s inequality exhibits under this sun.” – William Lovett

Utopian Socialists

Utopian Socialists were humanitarians that believed in the concept of the ideal society. They imagined a perfect world. They were trying to improve the lives of other and reduce suffering and did not intend to overturn the basics of political, economic, and social systems. They were idealistic over being pragmatic.

Robert Owen strongly believed that the harshness of life under laissez-faire capitlism was responsible for corrupting human nature. Owen believed that an individual could realize their potential in themselves if they had the freedom to pursuer their own inclinations. He also believed that education was absolutely necessary to a humane society. Owen established the “Institute for the Formation of Character” which was a community education centre. His institute cared for infants while parents worked and offered education to children until the age of 10. From 10 years old they would be sent out to work during the day and return to school in the evenings. Education for adults were available as well and the institute sponsored free medical care and recreational events. At a time were women were not treated equally in society, Owen had an appeal for women and believed in equal rights for them.

"To train and educate the rising generation will at all times be the first object of society, to which every other will be subordinate" – The Social System, 1826

"Women will be no longer made the slaves of, or dependent upon men…. They will be equal in education, rights, privileges and personal liberty". (Book of the New Moral World: Sixth Part, 1841)

I believe that the ideology of Utopian Socialists belong in the ice cream shop because they believed in the concept of improving everyone’s lives and equal rights for everyone even women during a time where they didn’t have equal rights. Utopian socialists ideology agrees with the ideology of Liberalism.

Marxists

Marxism is a radical form of socialism. Although this ideology was based upon Karl Marx’s beliefs, he has stated that after seeing some of the things his “followers” were doing, that he was not a Marxist. Marxist believed that the worker’s revolution was necessary for a significant change in society to occur. The were heavily against capitalism and strongly felt that all forms of capitalism was evil. Marxists believed that in order for change in society to happen, violence had to be a factor. This ideology believed in the abolition of all right of inheritance and confiscated all property of emigrants and rebels. They believed that education should be free for all children in public schools.

“Capital is dead labor, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it sucks.” –Karl Marx

“The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.” –Karl Marx

I would not put Marxism in my Liberalism ice cream store because although it thinks about the individual, like believing in free education for all children, this ideology removes the rights to private property that is essential in the belief of Liberalism.

Classical Conservatists

Classical Conservatism had mixed perceptions on human nature. They thought that self interest would eventually be harmful and that equality was not important. They perceived society to be a hierarchy of layers and that elites had the right to rule. Classical conservatists believed that customs and traditions were very important.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” –Edmund Burke

“All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter.”-Edmund Burke

I would not place classical conservatism in the liberalism ice cream store because evidently, this ideology does not believe in the value of the individual. They believed that society should run in a hierarchical manner and that people in higher positions should have more influence on how the government should run.