liberal democracy

liberal democracy, a form of democracy in which the power of government is limited, and the freedom and rights of individuals are protected, by constitutionally established norms and institutions.

Like the broader concept of democracy, liberal democracy is what the Scottish philosopher and political scientist W.B. Gallie (1912–98) called an essentially contested concept, about which no final consensus can exist. Nonetheless, the following underlying principles are broadly recognized as fundamental to liberal democracy: pluralism and toleration (that is, the dispersal of political power among a variety of interest groups and the acceptance of conflicting political viewpoints or priorities between groups); the resolution of political disagreements, where possible, within a constitutional framework and through the rule of law; the separation of powers (including the operation of an independent judiciary); and the protection of individual civil rights.

The origins of liberal democracy can be traced in part to a series of historical events and theories circumscribing the role of the state and limiting its powers, in tandem with the development of the idea of individual rights. Liberal democracy in the West is generally thought to have originated in the European Enlightenment and the American and French revolutions of the late 18th century—although some of its foundational principles, such as limited government, harken back to earlier events, such as the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.

Following the end of the Cold War in the late 20th century, many political observers were highly optimistic about the prospects of liberal democracy. The American political theorist Francis Fukuyama, for example, famously announced the “end of history”—that is, the victory of liberal democracy as the final form of human government and “the total exhaustion of viable systematic alternatives to Western liberalism.” However, liberal democracy continued to be challenged in subsequent decades. Autocratic leaders—notably, Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia—continued to rule in powerful countries, thus presenting an alternative model of governance. Liberal democracy was also challenged within several countries by the emergence of (predominantly right-wing) populist leaders in the first decades of the 21st century—including Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Pres. Donald Trump of the United States—who tended to dismiss key liberal-democratic ideals such as pluralism, the rule of law, and the need for institutional checks on governmental power. See also liberalism.