What is a Libertarian? Beliefs & Examples | Study.com

Libertarian Theory

Libertarians believe in the governing and economic concepts of individualism, spontaneous order, rule of law, and limited government.

Most Libertarians tend to believe in conservativism on economic issues. They believe strongly in free-market capitalism, deregulation of business through laissez-faire practices, and any other liberty that a business enterprise can enjoy. Libertarians are against the current progressive income-tax system and support a revamp of the entire system. They will also more closely align with conservatives when it comes to limited government involvement, not just in business but also in state or local matters.

Libertarians base their economic leanings on the spontaneous order concept. They argue that society will experience the most efficient economic model through self-interest and self-preservation. Businesses and individuals overtime will naturally find the most useful ways to combine resources to be both profitable and efficient.

When it comes to enforcing laws and the legal system, Libertarians want the government restricted to its proper place as defined in the Constitution. Libertarians continue to stress limited government but with a strong sense of rule of law, which means no person or entity is above the law. Libertarians believe that rule of law, under the guidance of the Constitution, is the supreme law of the land in the United States and all else falls inferior to that.

On the left-leaning side of the spectrum, Libertarians are against almost all forms of government involvement in private or family matters. They strongly believe and will advocate for individual rights. Libertarian social stances include decriminalizing marijuana, having no authority or regulation on abortions, and promoting a strong defense of individualism. This usually means that a person has strong authority over themselves and is not centrally controlled by another entity like a government. They also agree with more liberal policies for a clear separation of church and state.

On foreign policy and military matters, Libertarians are typically more conservative. They believe the military should be only used to secure national borders or defend against domestic threats. Libertarians usually oppose most wars and the foreign relations the U.S. has been involved in.

Regardless of the political spectrum, which the Libertarian Party will argue they do not belong on either the left or the right side, their main principles are:

The Libertarian Party is most well known for its specific pro-business or business-friendly policies. Libertarians believe that businesses owners best operate in a mostly free enterprise economic system. Libertarians often take the position that the more freedom businesses are able to enjoy, the more beneficial they can be towards society creating goods and services.

The party pushes for deregulation of business through laissez-faire practices and any other liberty that a business enterprise can enjoy. Libertarian proponents will argue that if the government stays in its constitutional sphere of influence and does not interfere with business operations through regulation or taxes, the economy will prosper.

In economic terms, this makes the whole of the laissez-faire argument align with supply-side economic policy. This means that the government would be cutting taxes, deregulating businesses as well as making financing easier to come by so that business can increase their production.

Though the modern Libertarian Party was founded in the early 1970s, its roots trace back to key political figures in Europe and the US founding fathers. In the 18th century, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke constructed "libertarian" ideals in Europe through their works. Thomas Hobbes wrote the Social Contract Theory which directly represents the base of the Libertarian "Spontaneous Order" belief. John Locke wrote the Treatise of Government that primarily discussed that the whole purpose of government is to protect the natural rights of its citizens, which is the foundation of the Libertarian movement. People like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Thomas Paine all wrote and debated the purpose of government and how a limited government that protects the rights of its citizens would be the best foundation of the new nation of the United States.

The Libertarian Party was founded and became official in 1971 and had its first national convention in 1972. The party quickly became the 3rd most popular political party in the U.S. because of the growing neo-libertarian movement brought on by the resentment of government in the post-Vietnam timeline, as well as the district of government following the Nixon Administration era. By 1980, they were able to place a candidate on the ballots in all 50 states.

Today, the Libertarian Party has representation in all 50 states and supports candidates in elections ranging from local officials all the way to candidates for Presidential Office. The party is also heavily involved in high school and college campuses nationwide. There are multiple private organizations that are associated with the Libertarian Party that help with fundraising, election or poll working, membership, and advertising.

Some of these organizations include:

The official symbol of the Libertarian Party is the Statue of Liberty however a lot of organizations associated with the party utilize the hedgehog as the unofficial mascot symbol. The hedgehog animal is a defensive animal that does not bother anyone but will act in an aggressive way when provoked.

Although no Libertarian candidate has won the Presidential election or a Governorship, they have seen some limited success in local and other state-wide elections. Some candidates have made switches to other parties for better exposure and success. Most Libertarians have switched to the Republican party, but a few have changed over to the Democratic Party when they needed more national or state recognition.

Libertarian Presidential Candidates have never earned an electoral college vote (270 total electoral votes to win Presidency) but they have secured hundreds of thousands to millions of the popular vote across the U.S. This has greatly impacted close elections on the national stage.

With the growing partisanship in modern-day politics, third parties like Libertarians have been gaining a sizeable following and influence in national politics. Several members from other political parties even show tendencies to align more with Libertarians to gain their support in elections or on important pieces of policy.

Some of the more well known "Libertarian Friendly" politicians are:

President Donald Trump (R) was able to gain a following from some Libertarian voters during the 2016 and 2020 campaigns by appealing to "hands-off Government" policies that Libertarians support.

In recent state-wide campaigns, discontented Democratic and Republican voters are starting to show more support for independent third-parties and will start to vote or align themselves more with Libertarian causes.

With more and more American citizens discouraged by the two-party system, many are looking to find a "new home" with the Libertarian cause. The Libertarian Party has seen more involvement with their movement and is seen at the forefront of some of these key national hot topics in the U.S. :

Examples of Libertarian stances on more conservative, or right-leaning, economic issues:

Examples of Libertarian stances on more liberal, or left-leaning, social issues:

Libertarians face constant criticism from the general population but also from Democrat and Republican officials. Since the platform is strongly opinionated on hot-topic issues, they often receive many negative comments towards their officials or policies.

For example, critics would argue that the belief in a deregulated economy, markets, and businesses free of government involvement, could abuse the nation's resources or does not necessarily create efficient economic opportunities for all citizens.

Opponents against the Libertarian Party have even cited that there are no historical or modern examples of a nation being successfully lead by majority libertarian policies. Opposition towards the platform also debates that the concept of Libertarianism is borderline neo-anarchism where, if there is not enough government involvement, it could lead to a collapse of a nation.

The U.S. political system is still dominated by the two major parties, Republican and Democrat, but independent third parties like Liberatairians play a key role in local, state, and national elections and policy influence.

The modern Libertarian Party was founded in the 1970s but has historical influence from European politicians like John Locke and Adam Smith. Founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Thomas Paine all played an important role in establishing a base of beliefs for the modern Libertarian movement.

Multiple organizations support and associate themselves with the Libertarian Party from various sectors like education advocates, business groups, religious organizations, other political parties, and more. The party and movement have gained small success in local, state, and national elections.

Libertarians usually align themselves with conservatives when it comes to economic or financial issues. They usually support more liberal stances when it comes to individual liberties, civil rights, family, or private matters. When it comes to foreign policy, the platform takes more of a pacifist isolation stance.

Modern politicians, even if they are not Libertarian party members, try to appeal more to Libertarians because of the growing popularity in the party's platform.

Libertarians have faced strong criticism, mostly concerning their stance on the lack of government regulation. Critics argue this would only encourage anarchism and a failed government would lead to a dissolved nation and a collapsed society.

Because of their strong beliefs about personal freedoms, Libertarian platforms tend to focus heavily on business and free trade. For example, in the United States, business and economic trade is heavily monitored and regulated by the government to ensure that it's fair and safe. Libertarians might claim that this governmental involvement restricts a person's right to make a living however they choose and would advocate for no governmental restrictions.

Rather than support the government's role in economic trade and commerce, Libertarians tend to encourage an open and unregulated system in which people are free to conduct their business as they see fit. This type of economic system is what is known as laissez-faire capitalism.

Unlike other political belief systems, like Republican and Democratic, it can be difficult to pinpoint where Libertarianism started and how it evolved. This is because Libertarianism isn't really a political affiliation; it's more of a personal philosophy that strongly influences a person's political views.

For example, Libertarian thought can be traced back to 18th century Europe, during a time in which many people began to advocate for smaller governments and increased personal freedoms. These 'free thinkers,' as they're known, placed considerable importance on personal autonomy, which emphasized an individual's right to make decisions for themselves and act on their own behalf.

In the United States, Libertarianism grew out of the Neoliberal movement during the 1970s. Like Libertarians, Neoliberals wanted a more open and unrestricted form of commerce and society that was free from governmental interference.

The Libertarians became an official U.S. political party in 1971, in an effort to challenge American policies on issues like the Vietnam War and economic depression. For more than 40 years, the Libertarian party has run in elections on a platform that opposes foreign intervention, advocates free trade, and encourages limiting governmental powers.

As you might imagine, such strong opinions and beliefs about politics and society are not without their critics. The most common criticism of Libertarianism is its focus on the individual. The right to do whatever you want, whenever you want may sound good in theory, but nations are made up of different people who need to compromise in order to make it work. In light of this, there are no examples of a Libertarian nation anywhere in the world.

Another common criticism of Libertarianism is their perspective on substantially reduced government. Once again, in theory, getting rid of restrictions and governmental involvement may sound like a good thing, but it has substantial downsides. For example, imagine what would happen if the government eliminated the Department of Education. This would save federal money and reduce governmental involvement in private life, but it would dramatically affect the number of people that could go to college in the United States by eliminating federally subsidized student loans.

Though some critics will admit that Libertarian beliefs and perspectives are not entirely invalid, it's widely believed that these theories don't work in the context of a functioning society, and would likely lead to much larger earning gaps, social inequality, and so on.

In theory, the perspectives and beliefs of Libertarianism may sound reasonable, or even enticing. After all, personal freedom, autonomy, and the right live your life the way that you see fit are admirable goals. From the critics' perspective, however, limiting the government and engaging in laissez-faire capitalism would have a harmful effect on society, and perhaps even worsen the problems that Libertarianism hopes to solve.

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What is a Libertarian? Beliefs & Examples | Study.com