Liberalism
The political tradition built around individual liberty, equality before the law, consent of the governed, and limits on state power — the foundational ideology of modern Western democracies.
Origin
Classical liberalism (Locke, Adam Smith, Mill in the 18th–19th centuries) emphasized individual rights, religious tolerance, free markets, and constitutional government. 20th-century 'social liberalism' (FDR's New Deal, Beveridge's UK welfare state) added regulation, redistribution, and a safety net. The word is now genuinely confusing across borders: in the US 'liberal' means center-left; in most of Europe and Latin America 'liberal' means classical-liberal, i.e., free-market and often center-right; in Russian state media 'liberal' means treasonous Westernizer.
Modern usage
Massively context-dependent. 'Liberal' in American conservative media is an enemy slur ('the libs'); on US campuses it's a moderate complaint. 'Neoliberalism' — used almost exclusively by critics — labels post-1980 free-market policies. 'Liberal democracy' as a phrase remains the standard descriptor of the Western political order.
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