Classical Liberalism on the 12 Axes

Classical liberalism developed from the 17th to the 19th centuries with thinkers such as John Locke, Adam Smith, Montesquieu, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Constant and John Stuart Mill. It argued for natural rights, constitutional limits on power, religious tolerance, free speech and free trade against mercantilism. These ideas shaped the American and French revolutions, British free trade and many 19th century constitutions in Europe and Latin America. Government should be small, accountable and split by checks and balances. Compared with modern Liberalism, classical liberalism rejects a large welfare state. Compared with Right-Libertarianism, it accepts more public functions and is more open to international cooperation. Compared with Neoliberalism, it is older, more focused on rights and less tied to global financial institutions.

• Liberalism 87%Liberalism is the mainstream tradition of liberal democracy: individual rights, civil liberties and the rule of law first, with a regulated market economy, free trade and open international cooperation.
• Georgism 80%Georgism is an economic philosophy holding that people own what they produce, but land and natural resources belong to everyone, so the main tax should fall on land value.
• Right-Libertarianism 80%Right-libertarianism wants a minimal state limited to police, courts and defense, with free markets, strong property rights and very low taxes, and broad freedom in personal life.
• Neoliberalism 76%Neoliberalism favors free markets, free trade, privatization, deregulation and fiscal discipline, while keeping a functioning state that secures markets and a basic social safety net.