169-435: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Libertarian Party ( LP ) is a libertarian or classical liberal political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties , non-interventionism , laissez-faire capitalism , and limiting the size and scope of government . The world's first explicitly libertarian party, it was conceived in August 1971 at meetings in the home of David F. Nolan in Westminster, Colorado , and
338-634: A classical liberal platform, much different from the Democratic Party 's modern liberalism and progressivism and the Republican Party 's conservatism and right-wing populism . Gary Johnson , the party's presidential nominee in 2012 and 2016 , claims that the Libertarian Party is more socially liberal than Democrats, and more fiscally conservative than Republicans. Its fiscal policy positions include lowering taxes and abolishing
507-499: A minimal state on the grounds that it was an inevitable phenomenon which could arise without violating individual rights . According to common United States meanings of conservative and liberal , libertarianism in the United States has been described as conservative on economic issues ( economic liberalism and fiscal conservatism ) and liberal on personal freedom ( civil libertarianism and cultural liberalism ). It
676-405: A negative nature and therefore stipulate that other individuals and governments are to refrain from interfering with the free market, opposing social liberals who assert that individuals have positive rights , such as the right to vote, the right to an education, the right to healthcare , and the right to a minimum wage. For society to guarantee positive rights, it requires taxation over and above
845-526: A pure democracy , reasoning that in a pure democracy a "common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole ... and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party". In the late 19th century, classical liberalism developed into neoclassical liberalism , which argued for government to be as small as possible to allow the exercise of individual freedom . In its most extreme form, neoclassical liberalism advocated social Darwinism . Right-libertarianism
1014-465: A state of nature . These beliefs were complemented by a belief that financial incentive could best motivate labourers. This belief led to the passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 , which limited the provision of social assistance, based on the idea that markets are the mechanism that most efficiently leads to wealth. Drawing on ideas of Adam Smith , classical liberals believed that it
1183-522: A 7/8ths supermajority of delegates is required to change the Statement of Principles. Any proposed platform plank found by the Judicial Committee to conflict with the Statement requires approval by a three-fourths supermajority of delegates. Early platform debates included at the second convention whether to support tax resistance and at the 1974 convention whether to support anarchism . In both cases,
1352-455: A Harsh Mistress , sometimes dubbed "a manifesto for a libertarian revolution". The slogan of the party has since become "The Party of Principle". Also in 1972, the "Libersign"—an arrow angling upward through the abbreviation "TANSTAAFL"—was adopted as a party symbol. By the end of the decade, this was replaced with the Lady Liberty until 2015, with the adoption of the "Torch Eagle" logo. In
1521-453: A Libertarian Party convention. The first Libertarian presidential candidate, John Hospers , received one electoral vote in 1972 when Roger MacBride , a Virginia Republican faithless elector pledged to Richard Nixon , cast his ballot for the Libertarian ticket. His vote for Theodora ("Tonie") Nathan as vice president was the first electoral college vote ever to be cast for a woman in
1690-460: A Libertarian, depending on the state's election laws. The preamble outlines the party's goals: "As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others. [...] Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands". Its Statement of Principles begins: "We,
1859-564: A Minneapolis police officer. The bill was the first to gain support of members from the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties in the history of the United States Congress. The Dallas Accord is an implicit agreement that was made at the 1974 Libertarian National Convention as a compromise between the party's larger minarchist and smaller anarcho-capitalist factions by adopting a platform that explicitly did not say whether it
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#17330852710632028-496: A United States presidential election. MacBride became the Libertarian presidential nominee himself in 1976. This was the last time that the Libertarian Party won an electoral vote until 44 years later, in the 2016 presidential election, when Texas Republican faithless elector Bill Greene, who was pledged to cast his vote for Donald Trump , instead cast his vote for Libertarian Party member, 1988 presidential nominee, and former Republican representative Ron Paul for president. During
2197-494: A compromise was reached. The Libertarian Party has attracted influential politicians who attempt to sway the party's voting base. In May 2024, Donald Trump spoke at the Libertarian Party's convention in Washington D.C. with his speech focusing on libertarian issues such as his stances on anti-war policies, Bitcoin , and First and Second Amendment rights. This was the first time a current or former U.S. president had spoken at
2366-448: A conception of personal autonomy from which they argue in favor of civil liberties and a reduction or elimination of the state. People described as being left-libertarian or right-libertarian generally tend to call themselves simply libertarians and refer to their philosophy as libertarianism. As a result, some political scientists and writers classify the forms of libertarianism into two or more groups to distinguish libertarian views on
2535-608: A defence of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Although these writings were considered too radical at the time for Britain's new rulers, Whigs, radicals and supporters of the American Revolution later came to cite them. However, much of later liberal thought was absent in Locke's writings or scarcely mentioned and his writings have been subject to various interpretations. For example, there is little mention of constitutionalism ,
2704-651: A dominant ideology following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and was associated with supporting the British Parliament, upholding the rule of law, defending landed property and sometimes included freedom of the press and freedom of speech. The origins of rights were seen as being in an ancient constitution existing from time immemorial . Custom rather than as natural rights justified these rights. Whigs believed that executive power had to be constrained. While they supported limited suffrage, they saw voting as
2873-567: A fair hearing". Neo-libertarianism has its roots at least as far back as 1980 when it was first described by the American philosopher James Sterba of the University of Notre Dame . Sterba observed that libertarianism advocates for a government that does no more than protection against force, fraud, theft, enforcement of contracts and other so-called negative liberties as contrasted with positive liberties by Isaiah Berlin . Sterba contrasted this with
3042-441: A governing committee, usually consisting of statewide officers elected by state party members and regional representation of one kind or another. Similarly, county, town, city and ward committees, where organized, generally consist of members elected at the local level. State and local committees often coordinate campaign activities within their jurisdiction, oversee local conventions and in some cases primaries or caucuses and may have
3211-421: A less powerful federal government , strong civil liberties (including LGBT rights , with the party supporting same-sex marriage ), the liberalization of drug laws , separation of church and state , open immigration , non-interventionism and neutrality in diplomatic relations, free trade and free movement to all foreign countries and a more representative republic. In 2018, the Libertarian Party became
3380-562: A libertarian philosophical treatise titled Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and its Influence on Morals and Happiness which criticized ideas of human rights and of society by contract based on vague promises. He took liberalism to its logical anarchic conclusion by rejecting all political institutions, law, government and apparatus of coercion as well as all political protest and insurrection. Instead of institutionalized justice, Godwin proposed that people influence one another to moral goodness through informal reasoned persuasion, including in
3549-474: A life member of the Libertarian Party. Previously, the party has had four sitting members of state legislatures. Laura Ebke served in the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature and announced her switch from being a Republican to a Libertarian in 2016. Three members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives who were elected as either Republicans or Democrats in the 2016 election announced their switch to
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#17330852710633718-469: A limited government was achieved. During the 2006 Libertarian National Convention delegates deleted a large portion of the very detailed platform. The phrase "Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property" was added. This development was described as the "Portland Massacre" by its opponents. Some took this as meaning the Dallas Accord was dead. Whether
3887-454: A man tills, plants, improves, cultivates, and can use the product of", this principle held great appeal to individuals possessed of great wealth. Locke held that the individual had the right to follow his own religious beliefs and that the state should not impose a religion against Dissenters , but there were limitations. No tolerance should be shown for atheists , who were seen as amoral, or to Catholics , who were seen as owing allegiance to
4056-424: A night-watchman state, but instead requires sufficient government to provide each person in society with the relatively high minimum of liberty that persons using Rawls ' decision procedure would select. The political program actually justified by an ideal of negative liberty I shall call Neo-Libertarianism ." Libertarian populism combines libertarian and populist politics. According to Jesse Walker , writing in
4225-506: A privilege rather than as a right. However, there was no consistency in Whig ideology and diverse writers including John Locke , David Hume , Adam Smith and Edmund Burke were all influential among Whigs, although none of them were universally accepted. From the 1790s to the 1820s, British radicals concentrated on parliamentary and electoral reform, emphasising natural rights and popular sovereignty. Richard Price and Joseph Priestley adapted
4394-450: A region. The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) is a 27-member body including alternates, or 17 voting members. Since the 2022 Libertarian National Convention , the chair has been Angela McArdle of Texas (McArdle had been a resident of California at the time of her election). The Libertarian Party is organized in all 50 states and the District of Columbia . Each state affiliate has
4563-428: A role in nominating candidates for elected office under state law. Since the Libertarian Party's inception, individuals have been able to join the party as voting members by signing their agreement with the organization's non-aggression pledge, which states that the signer does not advocate the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals. During the mid-1980s and into the early 1990s, this membership category
4732-561: A short piece critiquing a poem by " the author of Gebir " and has since been used politically. The use of the term libertarian to describe a new set of political positions has been traced to the French cognate libertaire , coined in a letter French libertarian communist Joseph Déjacque wrote to mutualist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in 1857. Déjacque also used the term for his anarchist publication Le Libertaire, Journal du mouvement social ( Libertarian: Journal of Social Movement ) which
4901-693: A single convention, making the Mises sweep illegal. The Mises-dominated Party quickly changed the bylaws after their sweep to amend this. After Mises-affiliated libertarians in Virginia reformed their branch of the party, seeking backing from the national party, the dissidents then formed a splinter group, the Virginia Classical Liberal Party . Additionally, the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts disaffiliated, however Mises hardliners formed
5070-858: A state legislature was Marshall Burt to the Wyoming House of Representatives in 2020. The party elected multiple legislators in New Hampshire during the 1990s as well as in Alaska during the 1980s. One of the party's Alaska state legislators, Andre Marrou was nominated for vice president in 1988 and for president in 1992. As of 2017, there were 168 Libertarians holding elected office: 58 of them partisan offices and 110 of them non-partisan offices. In addition, some party members, who were elected to public office on other party lines, explicitly retained their Libertarian Party membership and these include former Representative Ron Paul, who has repeatedly stated that he remains
5239-576: A term, libertarian or economic libertarian has the most everyday acceptance to describe a member of the movement, with the latter term being based on both the ideology's importance of economics and its distinction from libertarians of the New Left. While both historical and contemporary libertarianism share general antipathy towards power by government authority, the latter exempts power wielded through free-market capitalism . Historically, libertarians, including Herbert Spencer and Max Stirner , supported
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5408-555: Is a modern form of neoclassical liberalism. However, Edwin Van de Haar states although classical liberal thought influenced libertarianism, there are significant differences between them. Classical liberalism refuses to give priority to liberty over order and therefore does not exhibit the hostility to the state which is the defining feature of libertarianism. As such, right-libertarians believe classical liberals do not have enough respect for individual property rights and lack sufficient trust in
5577-594: Is also often associated with a foreign policy of non-interventionism . Although libertarianism originated as a form of anarchist or left-wing politics , the development in the mid-20th century of modern libertarianism in the United States resulted in libertarianism's being commonly associated with right-wing politics , as well as viewed by many as neither left- nor right-wing, but an independent pro-freedom and anti-authoritarian philosophy. It also resulted in several authors and political scientists using two or more categorizations to distinguish libertarian views on
5746-437: Is closely associated with, to "safeguard" and maintain individualism. Libertarians argue that some forms of order within society emerge spontaneously from the actions of many different individuals acting independently from one another without any central planning . Proposed examples of systems that evolved through spontaneous order or self-organization include the evolution of life on Earth , language , crystal structure ,
5915-524: Is considered closely tied to, or synonymous with, American libertarianism . Core beliefs of classical liberals included new ideas – which departed from both the older conservative idea of society as a family and from the later sociological concept of society as a complex set of social networks . Classical liberals agreed with Thomas Hobbes that individuals created government to protect themselves from each other and to minimize conflict between individuals that would otherwise arise in
6084-434: Is diminished by being automatically enrolled in the plan, when they merely have to check a box to opt out." Nudge is considered an important piece of literature in behavioral economics . Neo-libertarianism combines "the libertarian's moral commitment to negative liberty with a procedure that selects principles for restricting liberty on the basis of a unanimous agreement in which everyone's particular interests receive
6253-433: Is divided over the use of conservatism as an alternative. Those who seek both economic and social liberty would be known as liberals , but that term developed associations opposite of the limited government , low-taxation, minimal state advocated by the movement. Name variants of the free-market revival movement include classical liberalism , economic liberalism , free-market liberalism and neoliberalism . As
6422-458: Is how much government intervenes into the economy. ... When instead we discuss human purpose and the meaning of life, Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes are on the same side. Both of them possessed an expansive sense of what we are put on this earth to accomplish. ... For Smith, mercantilism was the enemy of human liberty. For Keynes, monopolies were. It makes perfect sense for an eighteenth-century thinker to conclude that humanity would flourish under
6591-611: Is in terms of the logical implications of these founding axioms". Although several modern American libertarians reject the political spectrum , especially the left–right political spectrum , several strands of libertarianism in the United States and right-libertarianism have been described as being right-wing, New Right or radical right and reactionary . While some American libertarians such as Walter Block , Harry Browne , Tibor Machan , Justin Raimondo , Leonard Read and Murray Rothbard deny any association with either
6760-554: Is now the most popular conception of libertarianism. Commonly referred to as a continuation or radicalization of classical liberalism , the most important of these early philosophers and economists was Robert Nozick . While left-libertarians advocate for social freedom, right-libertarians also value social institutions that support capitalist conditions. They reject institutions that oppose this framework, arguing that such interventions unnecessarily coerce individuals and violate their economic freedom. Anarcho-capitalists seek
6929-522: Is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it." According to American historian Bernard Bailyn , during and after the American Revolution , "the major themes of eighteenth-century libertarianism were brought to realization" in constitutions , bills of rights , and limits on legislative and executive powers, including limits on starting wars. According to Murray Rothbard , the libertarian creed emerged from
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7098-465: Is the chief source from which it draws its strength". On the other hand, Gallican liberty "is sought in government ... . [T]he French look for the highest degree of political civilisation in organisation, that is, in the highest degree of interference by public power". French physiocracy heavily influenced British classical liberalism, which traces its roots to the Whigs and Radicals . Whiggery had become
7267-528: Is the common meaning of the word libertarianism in the U.S. This form is often named liberalism elsewhere such as in Europe, where liberalism has a different common meaning than in the United States. In some academic circles, this form is called right-libertarianism as a complement to left-libertarianism , with acceptance of capitalism or the private ownership of land as being the distinguishing feature. Elements of libertarianism can be traced back to
7436-574: Is the third-largest political party in the United States by voter registration. In the 2020 election , the Libertarians gained a state legislative seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives , the first such win for the party since 2000. The first and only Libertarian in the United States Congress was Justin Amash , who joined the Libertarian Party in 2020 and left the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021 after choosing not to seek re-election . In 2022,
7605-464: Is to protect personal and property rights; that people may dissolve governments that do not do so; and that representative government is the best form to protect rights. The United States Declaration of Independence was inspired by Locke in its statement: "[T]o secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it
7774-413: Is true that the word "liberal" once described persons who respected the individual and feared the use of mass compulsions. But the leftists have now corrupted that once-proud term to identify themselves and their program of more government ownership of property and more controls over persons. As a result, those of us who believe in freedom must explain that when we call ourselves liberals, we mean liberals in
7943-577: The 2016 presidential election , Gary Johnson and vice presidential candidate Bill Weld received a record percentage of 3.3% of the popular vote (4,489,233 votes), getting 9.3% in New Mexico , where Johnson had previously been elected governor. In the 2012 presidential election , Johnson and running mate Jim Gray received 1,275,821 votes (1.0%). Source: Historically, Libertarians have achieved 50-state ballot access for their presidential candidate five times: in 1980, 1992, 1996, (in 2000, L. Neil Smith
8112-474: The 2021 Chilean presidential election with the Apruebo Dignidad coalition. In November 2023, economist and television commentator Javier Milei was elected as the world's first self-identified Libertarian head of state after winning an upset landslide in that year's general election as the leader of the libertarian La Libertad Avanza coalition. The first recorded use of the term libertarian
8281-739: The Bolsheviks in both the February and October 1917 revolutions. However, Bolsheviks in central Russia quickly began to imprison or drive underground the libertarian anarchists. Many fled to Ukraine. After the anarchist Makhnovshchina helped stave off the White movement during the Russian Civil War , the Bolsheviks turned on the Makkhnovists and contributed to the schism between the anarcho-syndicalists and
8450-743: The Cato Institute 's David Boaz includes passages from the Tao Te Ching in his 1997 book The Libertarian Reader and noted in an article for the Encyclopædia Britannica that Laozi advocated for rulers to "do nothing" because "without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony". Libertarianism was influenced by debates within Scholasticism regarding private property and slavery . Scholastic thinkers, including Thomas Aquinas , Francisco de Vitoria , and Bartolomé de Las Casas , argued for
8619-517: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), decreasing the national debt , allowing people to opt out of Social Security , and eliminating the welfare state , in part by utilizing private charities . Its social policy positions include ending the prohibition of illegal drugs , advocating criminal justice reform , supporting same-sex marriage , ending capital punishment , and supporting the right to keep and bear arms . As of May 2024, it
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#17330852710638788-450: The Internet , Misplaced Pages , workers' councils , Horizontalidad , and a free market economy . What some academics call right-libertarianism is more often simply called "libertarianism" by its adherents. Based on the works of European writers like John Locke , Frederic Bastiat , Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig Von Mises , it developed in the United States in the mid-20th century, and
8957-538: The Keystone Party of Pennsylvania . After the Mises-dominated Party adopted a so called "national divorce" as part of the party's official core platform, many of the state-level affiliated parties began to disassociate from the national Party or dissolve themselves altogether. The New Mexico state party also argued that according to LP bylaws, there can never be more than two executive positions overturned in
9126-540: The Latin : libertas , lit. 'freedom') is a political philosophy that holds freedom as its primary value. Many libertarians conceive of freedom in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle , according to which each individual has the right to live as they choose, so long as it does not involve violating the rights of others by initiating force or fraud against them. Libertarians advocate for
9295-559: The Libertarian Party , of the United States, libertarianism is the advocacy of either anarchy, or government that is funded voluntarily and limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP), "What it means to be a 'libertarian' in a political sense is a contentious issue, especially among libertarians themselves." Nevertheless, all libertarians begin with
9464-674: The Mises Caucus (LPMC) became the dominant faction on the Libertarian National Committee , leading to internal conflicts and significant policy changes, such as regarding immigration and abortion . Some classical liberalism -minded dissidents split from the Libertarian party to form the Association of Liberty State Parties . The first Libertarian National Convention was held in June 1972. In 1978, Dick Randolph of Alaska became
9633-543: The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Gruppo Comunista Anarchico di Firenze held that during the early twentieth century, the terms libertarian communism and anarchist communism became synonymous within the international anarchist movement as a result of the close connection they had in Spain ( anarchism in Spain ), with libertarian communism becoming the prevalent term. Libertarian socialism reached its apex of popularity with
9802-517: The Spanish Revolution of 1936 , during which libertarian socialists led "the largest and most successful revolution against capitalism to ever take place in any industrial economy". During the revolution, the means of production were brought under workers' control and worker cooperatives formed the basis for the new economy. According to Gaston Leval , the CNT established an agrarian federation in
9971-614: The Steiner–Vallentyne school . Some variants of libertarianism, such as anarcho-capitalism, have been labeled as far-right or radical right by some scholars. Those sometimes called "right-libertarians", usually by leftists or by other libertarians with more left-leaning ideologies, often reject the label due to its association with conservatism and right-wing politics and simply describe themselves as libertarians . However, some, particularly those who describe themselves as paleo-libertarians , agree with their placement on
10140-540: The free market 's workings and spontaneous order leading to their support of a much larger state. Right-libertarians also disagree with classical liberals as being too supportive of central banks and monetarist policies. Friedrich Hayek identified two different traditions within classical liberalism, namely the British tradition and the French tradition: Hayek conceded that the national labels did not exactly correspond to those belonging to each tradition since he saw
10309-612: The means of production , or else to restrict their purview or effects to usufruct property norms, in favor of common or cooperative ownership and management , viewing private property in the means of production as a barrier to freedom and liberty. In the mid-20th century, American proponents of anarcho-capitalism and minarchism began using the term libertarian . Minarchists advocate for night-watchman states which maintain only those functions of government necessary to safeguard natural rights, understood in terms of self-ownership or autonomy, while anarcho-capitalists advocate for
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#173308527106310478-466: The rule of law , with special emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government , economic freedom , political freedom and freedom of speech . Classical liberalism, contrary to liberal branches like social liberalism , looks more negatively on social policies , taxation and the state involvement in the lives of individuals, and it advocates deregulation . Until the Great Depression and
10647-449: The separation of powers and limited government . James L. Richardson identified five central themes in Locke's writing: Although Locke did not develop a theory of natural rights, he envisioned individuals in the state of nature as being free and equal. The individual, rather than the community or institutions, was the point of reference. Locke believed that individuals had given consent to government and therefore authority derived from
10816-574: The " sectarian " libertarian socialists for the defeat of the Republic in the Spanish Civil War . These charges have been disputed by contemporary libertarian socialists, such as Robin Hahnel and Noam Chomsky, who have accused such claims of lacking substantial evidence. Classical liberalism Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics and civil liberties under
10985-531: The 1850s. Jeremy Bentham and James Mill , although advocates of laissez-faire , non-intervention in foreign affairs, and individual liberty, believed that social institutions could be rationally redesigned through the principles of utilitarianism . The Conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rejected classical liberalism altogether and advocated Tory democracy . By the 1870s, Herbert Spencer and other classical liberals concluded that historical development
11154-576: The 18th century and Age of Enlightenment , liberal ideas flourished in Europe and North America. Libertarians of various schools were influenced by liberal ideas. For philosopher Roderick T. Long, libertarians "share a common—or at least an overlapping—intellectual ancestry. [Libertarians] [...] claim the seventeenth century English Levellers and the eighteenth century French Encyclopedists among their ideological forebears; and [...] usually share an admiration for Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine ." John Locke greatly influenced both libertarianism and
11323-592: The 18th century, with origins in capitulations of the Ottoman Empire , dating back to the first commercial treaties signed with France in 1536 and taken further with capitulations in 1673, in 1740 which lowered duties to only 3% for imports and exports and in 1790. Ottoman free trade policies were praised by British economists advocating free trade such as J. R. McCulloch in his Dictionary of Commerce (1834) but criticized by British politicians opposing free trade such as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli , who cited
11492-671: The 1990s, several state Libertarian parties adopted the Liberty Penguin ("LP") as their official mascot. Another mascot is the Libertarian porcupine, an icon that was originally designed by Kevin Breen in March 2006 and inspired by the logo of the Free State Project (FSP). The Libertarian Party is democratically governed by its members, with state affiliate parties each holding annual or biennial conventions at which delegates are elected to attend
11661-405: The 19th century and to a liberal version that developed in the United States that is avowedly pro- capitalist . According to polls, approximately one in four Americans self-identify as libertarian . While most members of this group are not necessarily ideologically driven, the term libertarian is commonly used to describe the form of libertarianism widely practiced in the United States and
11830-593: The 2006 Libertarian National Convention in Portland, Oregon , at which the members re-established a basic $ 25 dues category (now called Sustaining membership) and further added a requirement that all National Committee officers must henceforth be at least sustaining members (which was not required prior to the convention). Ballot access expert and editor of Ballot Access News Richard Winger periodically compiles and analyzes voter registration statistics as reported by state voter agencies and he reports that as of early 2020
11999-464: The 2016 election, the party announced that it had achieved automatic ballot status in 37 or 38 states and the District of Columbia . In the Libertarian Party, some donors are not necessarily "members" because the party since its founding in 1972 has defined a "member" as being someone who agrees with the party's membership statement. The precise language of this statement is found in the party Bylaws. As of
12168-472: The Caucus, shifting the party in a right-ward direction. The caucus successfully swept leadership positions, including electing Angela McArdle as chairwomen and Joshua Smith as vice-chairman. The 2022 convention had an unusually high number of delegates, with the last recorded number for an off-election year convention in 2006 being just 300 delegates. The 2022 convention by contrast saw over 1,000 delegates. After
12337-627: The Communists. With the rise of fascism in Europe between the 1920s and the 1930s, anarchists began to fight fascists in Italy, in France during the February 1934 riots and in Spain where the CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo) boycott of elections led to a right-wing victory and its later participation in voting in 1936 helped bring the popular front back to power. This led to a ruling class attempted coup and
12506-474: The Dallas Accord remains in effect, and if so whether it should, or what limits it places on the party's public statements or candidates, all remain disputed within the party. At the 2022 Libertarian National Convention , members of the Mises Caucus , a paleolibertarian group affiliated with the beliefs of Ron Paul successfully staged a takeover of the Party, with over two-thirds of delegates becoming members of
12675-641: The First World War. Its notable victories were the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 , the Reform Act of 1832 and the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. The Anti-Corn Law League brought together a coalition of liberal and radical groups in support of free trade under the leadership of Richard Cobden and John Bright , who opposed aristocratic privilege, militarism, and public expenditure and believed that
12844-653: The Frenchmen Montesquieu , Benjamin Constant , Joseph De Maistre and Alexis de Tocqueville as belonging to the British tradition and the British Thomas Hobbes , Joseph Priestley , Richard Price , Edward Gibbon , Benjamin Franklin , Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine as belonging to the French tradition. Hayek also rejected the label laissez-faire as originating from the French tradition and alien to
13013-574: The Levante that encompassed 78% of Spain's most arable land . The regional federation was populated by 1,650,000 people, 40% of whom lived on the region's 900 agrarian collectives, which were self-organised by peasant unions. Although industrial and agricultural production was at its highest in the anarchist-controlled areas of the Spanish Republic, and the anarchist militias displayed the strongest military discipline, liberals and communists alike blamed
13182-580: The Levellers, who held similar views. Also influential were the English Cato's Letters during the early 1700s, reprinted eagerly by American colonists who already were free of European aristocracy and feudal land monopolies. In January 1776, only two years after coming to America from England, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense calling for independence for the colonies. Paine promoted liberal ideas in clear and concise language that allowed
13351-780: The Libertarian Party from the Republican Party in February 2017. New Hampshire Representative Joseph Stallcop changed party affiliation to the Libertarian Party from the Democratic Party in May 2017. New Hampshire State Legislator Brandon Phinney joined with the Libertarian Party from the Republican Party in June 2017, the third to do so in 2017 and matching their 1992 and 2016 peaks of sitting Libertarian state legislators. In January 2018, sitting New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Aubrey Dunn Jr. changed party affiliation from Republican to
13520-437: The Libertarian Party in 2017. State Senator Mark B. Madsen of Utah announced his switch from Republican to Libertarian in 2016, but also did not seek re-election that year. State Representative Max Abramson of New Hampshire switched from Republican to Libertarian before running as the party's gubernatorial candidate in 2016 instead of seeking re-election. State Representative John Moore of Nevada briefly switched parties, but he
13689-579: The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts, which the national party recognized as the official branch party in the state. The Mises Caucus also blocked the disaffiliation of the New Hampshire party. The Association of Liberty State Parties was officially formed on December 3, 2022 as a national party committee between the Massachusetts and New Mexico parties, and the Virginian splinters. The party's first goal
13858-501: The Libertarian Party, becoming the first Libertarian statewide officeholder in history. In April 2020, Representative Justin Amash of Michigan became the first Libertarian member of Congress after leaving the Republican Party and spending time as an independent. In June 2020, Amash, with Ayanna Pressley of the Democratic Party, introduced the Ending Qualified Immunity Act in response to the murder of George Floyd by
14027-433: The Libertarian record for a presidential ticket, earning over 4.4 million votes. Both Johnson and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein received significantly more news coverage in 2016 than third-party candidates usually get, with polls showing both candidates potentially increasing their support over the last election, especially among younger voters. The Libertarian Party has had significant electoral success in
14196-607: The Nebraska Legislature is officially non-partisan) and New Hampshire Representative Max Abramson in May and Utah Senator Mark B. Madsen in July. In the 2016 election cycle, Madsen and Abramson did not run for re-election to their respective offices while Moore lost his race after the Libertarian Party officially censured him over his support of taxpayer stadium funding. Ebke was not up for re-election in 2016. New Hampshire Representative Caleb Q. Dyer changed party affiliation to
14365-753: The New Hampshire General Court running on the Libertarian ballot line. Rhode Island State Representative Daniel P. Gordon was expelled from the Republicans and joined the Libertarian Party in 2011. In July 2016 and June 2017, the Libertarians tied their 1992 peak of four legislators when four state legislators from four different states left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party: Nevada Assemblyman John Moore in January, Nebraska Senator Laura Ebke (although
14534-445: The Ottoman Empire as "an instance of the injury done by unrestrained competition" in the 1846 Corn Laws debate, arguing that it destroyed what had been "some of the finest manufactures of the world" in 1812. Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other In
14703-581: The Pope over their own national government. Adam Smith 's The Wealth of Nations , published in 1776, was to provide most of the ideas of economics, at least until the publication of John Stuart Mill 's Principles of Political Economy in 1848. Smith addressed the motivation for economic activity, the causes of prices and the distribution of wealth and the policies the state should follow to maximise wealth. Smith wrote that as long as supply, demand, prices and competition were left free of government regulation,
14872-403: The United States , and increasingly worldwide, libertarian is a typology used to describe a political position that advocates small government and is culturally liberal and fiscally conservative in a two-dimensional political spectrum such as the libertarian-inspired Nolan Chart , where the other major typologies are conservative , liberal and populist . Libertarians support
15041-492: The United States, liberalism took a strong root because it had little opposition to its ideals, whereas in Europe liberalism was opposed by many reactionary or feudal interests such as the nobility; the aristocracy, including army officers; the landed gentry; and the established church. Thomas Jefferson adopted many of the ideals of liberalism, but in the Declaration of Independence changed Locke's "life, liberty and property" to
15210-463: The United States, the term libertarian was popularized by the individualist anarchist Benjamin Tucker around the late 1870s and early 1880s. Libertarianism as a synonym for liberalism was popularized in May 1955 by writer Dean Russell, a colleague of Leonard Read and a classical liberal himself. Russell justified the choice of the term as follows: Many of us call ourselves "liberals." And it
15379-458: The appropriation of land must leave " enough and as good " for others or be taxed by society to compensate for the exclusionary effects of private property. Socialist libertarians such as social and individualist anarchists , libertarian Marxists , council communists , Luxemburgists and De Leonists promote usufruct and socialist economic theories, including communism , collectivism , syndicalism and mutualism . They criticize
15548-479: The associations they joined as this would facilitate happiness. Anarchist communist philosopher Joseph Déjacque was the first person to describe himself as a libertarian in an 1857 letter. Unlike mutualist anarchist philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon , he argued that "it is not the product of his or her labor that the worker has a right to, but to the satisfaction of his or her needs, whatever may be their nature". According to anarchist historian Max Nettlau ,
15717-490: The backbone of Great Britain was the yeoman farmer. Their policies of low public expenditure and low taxation were adopted by William Gladstone when he became Chancellor of the Exchequer and later Prime Minister . Classical liberalism was often associated with religious dissent and nonconformism . Although classical liberals aspired to a minimum of state activity, they accepted the principle of government intervention in
15886-694: The beliefs of Hume and Smith. Guido De Ruggiero also identified differences between "Montesquieu and Rousseau, the English and the democratic types of liberalism" and argued that there was a "profound contrast between the two Liberal systems". He claimed that the spirit of "authentic English Liberalism" had "built up its work piece by piece without ever destroying what had once been built, but basing upon it every new departure". This liberalism had "insensibly adapted ancient institutions to modern needs" and "instinctively recoiled from all abstract proclamations of principles and rights". Ruggiero claimed that this liberalism
16055-516: The best guide and emphasised "limited government" while social liberals supported government regulation and the welfare state. Herbert Spencer in Britain and William Graham Sumner were the leading neo-classical liberal theorists of the 19th century. The evolution from classical to social/welfare liberalism is for example reflected in Britain in the evolution of the thought of John Maynard Keynes . The Ottoman Empire had liberal free trade policies by
16224-419: The book Thinking, Fast and Slow , Daniel Kahneman provides the brief summary: "Thaler and Sunstein advocate a position of libertarian paternalism, in which the state and other institutions are allowed to nudge people to make decisions that serve their own long-term interests. The designation of joining a pension plan as the default option is an example of a nudge. It is difficult to argue that anyone's freedom
16393-407: The communist or syndicalist variety. But now we had taken it over". In the 1970s, Robert Nozick was responsible for popularizing this usage of the term in academic and philosophical circles outside the United States, especially with the publication of Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974), a response to social liberal John Rawls 's A Theory of Justice (1971). In the book, Nozick proposed
16562-567: The concept of "self-mastery" as the foundation of a system supporting individual rights. Early Christian sects such as the Waldensians displayed libertarian attitudes. In 17th-century England, libertarian ideas began to take modern form in the writings of the Levellers and John Locke . In the middle of that century, opponents of royal power began to be called Whigs , or sometimes simply Opposition or Country, as opposed to Court writers. During
16731-592: The context of state legislatures and other local offices. Libertarians won four elections to the Alaska House of Representatives between 1978 and 1984 and another four to the New Hampshire General Court in 1992. Neil Randall, a Libertarian, won the election to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1998 running on both the Libertarian and Republican lines. In 2000, Steve Vaillancourt won election to
16900-418: The context of American politics, "classical liberalism" may be described as "fiscally conservative" and "socially liberal". Despite this, classical liberals tend to reject the right 's higher tolerance for economic protectionism and the left's inclination for collective group rights due to classical liberalism's central principle of individualism . Additionally, in the United States, classical liberalism
17069-497: The early 18th century, building on ideas dating at least as far back as the 16th century, within the Iberian, British, and Central European contexts, and it was foundational to the American Revolution and "American Project" more broadly. Notable liberal individuals whose ideas contributed to classical liberalism include John Locke , Jean-Baptiste Say , Thomas Malthus , and David Ricardo . It drew on classical economics , especially
17238-917: The early 20th century after the Great Depression and with the New Deal . Since the 1970s, this classical liberal form of libertarianism has spread beyond the United States, with libertarian or right-libertarian parties being established in the United Kingdom , Israel , South Africa , Argentina , and many other countries. After the fall of the Soviet Union , which caused many people to give up on Marxism or state socialism , libertarian socialism also grew in popularity and influence, alongside left-wing anti-war , anti-capitalist and anti- and alter-globalisation movements. In 2022, former student activist and self-described libertarian socialist Gabriel Boric became head of state of Chile after winning
17407-585: The economic ideas espoused by Adam Smith in Book One of The Wealth of Nations , and on a belief in natural law . In contemporary times, Friedrich Hayek , Milton Friedman , Ludwig von Mises , Thomas Sowell , George Stigler , Larry Arnhart , Ronald Coase and James M. Buchanan are seen as the most prominent advocates of classical liberalism. However, other scholars have made reference to these contemporary thoughts as neoclassical liberalism , distinguishing them from 18th-century classical liberalism. In
17576-573: The economy from the early 19th century on, with passage of the Factory Acts . From around 1840 to 1860, laissez-faire advocates of the Manchester School and writers in The Economist were confident that their early victories would lead to a period of expanding economic and personal liberty and world peace, but would face reversals as government intervention and activity continued to expand from
17745-415: The economy, to supervise standards of life and labour, to regulate the methods of business competition, and to establish comprehensive patterns of social security. Alan Wolfe summarizes the viewpoint that there is a continuous liberal understanding that includes both Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes : The idea that liberalism comes in two forms assumes that the most fundamental question facing mankind
17914-479: The economy. According to Sheldon Richman of the Independent Institute , other left-libertarians "prefer that corporate privileges be repealed before the regulatory restrictions on how those privileges may be exercised". Libertarian paternalism is a position advocated in the international bestseller Nudge by two American scholars, namely the economist Richard Thaler and the jurist Cass Sunstein . In
18083-653: The elimination of the state in favor of privately funded security services while minarchists defend night-watchman states which maintain only those functions of government necessary to safeguard natural rights, understood in terms of self-ownership or autonomy. Left-libertarianism encompasses those libertarian beliefs that claim the Earth's natural resources belong to everyone in an egalitarian manner, either unowned or owned collectively. Contemporary left-libertarians such as Hillel Steiner , Peter Vallentyne , Philippe Van Parijs , Michael Otsuka and David Ellerman believe
18252-566: The end of 2017, there were 138,815 Americans who were on record as having signed the membership statement. A survey by David Kirby and David Boaz found a minimum of 14 percent of American voters to have libertarian-leaning views. There is another measure the party uses internally as well. Since its founding, the party has apportioned delegate seats to its national convention based on the number of members in each state who have paid minimum dues (with additional delegates given to state affiliates for good performance in winning more votes than normal for
18421-444: The expansion of individual autonomy and political self-determination , emphasizing the principles of equality before the law and the protection of civil rights , including the rights to freedom of association , freedom of speech , freedom of thought and freedom of choice . They generally support individual liberty and oppose authority , state power, warfare , militarism and nationalism , but some libertarians diverge on
18590-534: The first elected Libertarian state legislator . Following the 1980 federal elections, the Libertarian Party assumed the title of being the third-largest party for the first time after the American Independent Party and the Conservative Party of New York (the other largest minor parties at the time) continued to decline. In 1994, over 40 Libertarians were elected or appointed which was a record for
18759-462: The first in the United States to call for the decriminalization of sex work . The party since 2022 has no official stance on abortion. Before this, the party's stance was ambiguous, supporting the prerogative of individual politicians and voters to vote their conscience, but de facto pro-choice since it called for government to stay out of the matter. The Statement of Principles was written by John Hospers . The Libertarian Party's bylaws specify that
18928-525: The first use of the term libertarian communism was in November 1880, when a French anarchist congress employed it to identify its doctrines more clearly. The French anarchist journalist Sébastien Faure started the weekly paper Le Libertaire ( The Libertarian ) in 1895. The revolutionary wave of 1917–1923 saw the active participation of anarchists in Russia and Europe. Russian anarchists participated alongside
19097-479: The form of American conservatism . According to Deepak Lal , only in the United States does classical liberalism continue to be a significant political force through American conservatism. American libertarians also claim to be the true continuation of the classical liberal tradition. Central to classical liberal ideology was their interpretation of John Locke 's Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration , which had been written as
19266-557: The general public to understand the debates among the political elites. Common Sense was immensely popular in disseminating these ideas, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. Paine would later write the Rights of Man and The Age of Reason and participate in the French Revolution . Paine's theory of property showed a "libertarian concern" with the unequal distribution of resources under statism. In 1793, William Godwin wrote
19435-609: The higher-law concepts of the Greeks and the Israelites , and Christian theologians who argued for the moral worth of the individual and the division of the world into two realms, one of which is the province of God and thus beyond the power of states to control it. The right-libertarian economist Murray Rothbard suggested that Chinese Taoist philosopher Laozi was the first libertarian, likening Laozi's ideas on government to Friedrich Hayek 's theory of spontaneous order . Similarly,
19604-470: The highest-paying employers, while the profit motive would ensure that products that people desired were produced at prices they would pay. In a free market, both labour and capital would receive the greatest possible reward, while production would be organized efficiently to meet consumer demand. Classical liberals argued for what they called a minimal state and government , limited to the following functions: Classical liberals asserted that rights are of
19773-491: The language of Locke to the ideology of radicalism. The radicals saw parliamentary reform as a first step toward dealing with their many grievances, including the treatment of Protestant Dissenters , the slave trade, high prices, and high taxes. There was greater unity among classical liberals than there had been among Whigs. Classical liberals were committed to individualism, liberty, and equal rights, as well as some other important tenants of leftism , since classical liberalism
19942-631: The left or right, other American libertarians such as Kevin Carson , Karl Hess , and Roderick T. Long have written about libertarianism's left-wing opposition to authoritarian rule and argued that libertarianism is fundamentally a left-wing position. Rothbard himself previously made the same point. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines libertarianism as the moral view that agents initially fully own themselves and have certain moral powers to acquire property rights in external things. Libertarian historian George Woodcock defines libertarianism as
20111-480: The legalization of victimless crimes such as the use of marijuana while opposing high levels of taxation and government spending on health, welfare, and education. Libertarians also support a foreign policy of non-interventionism . Libertarian was adopted in the United States, where liberal had become associated with a version that supports extensive government spending on social policies. Libertarian may also refer to an anarchist ideology that developed in
20280-513: The liberal challenges to an "absolute central State and a king ruling by divine right on top of an older, restrictive web of feudal land monopolies and urban guild controls and restrictions" as well as the mercantilism of a bureaucratic warfaring state allied with privileged merchants. The object of liberals was individual liberty in the economy, in personal freedoms and civil liberty, separation of state and religion and peace as an alternative to imperial aggrandizement. He cites Locke's contemporaries,
20449-399: The libertarian magazine Reason , libertarian populists oppose "big government" while also opposing "other large, centralized institutions" and advocate "tak[ing] an axe to the thicket of corporate subsidies, favors, and bailouts, clearing our way to an economy where businesses that can't make money serving customers don't have the option of wringing profits from the taxpayers instead". In
20618-420: The market. For a twentieth century thinker committed to the same ideal, government was an essential tool to the same end. The view that modern liberalism is a continuation of classical liberalism is controversial and disputed by many. James Kurth , Robert E. Lerner , John Micklethwait , Adrian Wooldridge and several other political scholars have argued that classical liberalism still exists today, but in
20787-590: The members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual". The Statement of Principles is foundational to the ideology of the party and was created specifically to bind the party to certain core principles with a high parliamentary burden for any amendment. The platform emphasizes individual liberty in personal and economic affairs, avoidance of "foreign entanglements" and military and economic intervention in other nations' affairs, and free trade and migration. The party opposes gun control measures that restrict
20956-489: The mid-19th century, libertarianism originated as a form of anti-authoritarian and anti-state politics usually seen as being on the left (like socialists and anarchists especially social anarchists , but more generally libertarian communists / Marxists and libertarian socialists ). Along with seeking to abolish or reduce the power of the State, these libertarians sought to abolish capitalism and private ownership of
21125-437: The minimum needed to enforce negative rights. Core beliefs of classical liberals did not necessarily include democracy nor government by a majority vote by citizens because "there is nothing in the bare idea of majority rule to show that majorities will always respect the rights of property or maintain rule of law". For example, James Madison argued for a constitutional republic with protections for individual liberty over
21294-565: The moderate left such as social democracy or authoritarian and statist socialism, its meaning has evolved during the past half century, with broader adoption by ideologically disparate groups, including some viewed as right-wing by older users of the term. As a term, libertarian can include both the New Left Marxists (who do not associate with a vanguard party ) and extreme liberals (primarily concerned with civil liberties ) or civil libertarians . Additionally, some libertarians use
21463-461: The modern world in his writings published before and after the English Revolution of 1688 , especially A Letter Concerning Toleration (1667), Two Treatises of Government (1689) and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690). In the text of 1689, he established the basis of liberal political theory, i.e. that people's rights existed before government; that the purpose of government
21632-476: The more socially liberal " Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ". As the United States grew, industry became a larger and larger part of American life; and during the term of its first populist President , Andrew Jackson , economic questions came to the forefront. The economic ideas of the Jacksonian era were almost universally the ideas of classical liberalism. Freedom, according to classical liberals,
21801-416: The national party, with each state chapter maintaining its own membership rolls. Most rights to participate in the governance of the party are limited to "bylaws-sustaining members" who have either purchased a lifetime membership or donated at least $ 25 within the past year. Most state parties maintain separate membership, which may be tied to either payment of dues to the state party, or voter registration as
21970-399: The nature of property and capital . In the United States, proponents of free-market anti-capitalism consciously label themselves as left-libertarians and see themselves as being part of a broad libertarian left. Libertarianism is a "[t]heory upholding...[individual] rights...above all else" and seeks to "reduce" the power of a state or states, especially ones a libertarian lives in or
22139-537: The nature of property and capital, usually along left–right or socialist–capitalist lines. While all libertarians support some level of individual rights , left-libertarians differ by supporting an egalitarian redistribution of natural resources. Left-libertarian ideologies include anarchist schools of thought , alongside many other anti- paternalist and New Left schools of thought centered around economic egalitarianism as well as geolibertarianism , green politics , market-oriented left-libertarianism and
22308-532: The older libertarian ideal of a night watchman state or minarchism. Sterba held that it is "obviously impossible for everyone in society to be guaranteed complete liberty as defined by this ideal: after all, people's actual wants as well as their conceivable wants can come into serious conflict. [...] [I]t is also impossible for everyone in society to be completely free from the interference of other persons." In 2013, Sterba wrote, "I shall show that moral commitment to an ideal of 'negative' liberty, which does not lead to
22477-440: The party at that time. 1995 saw a soaring membership and voter registration for the party. In 1996, the Libertarian Party became the first third party to earn ballot status in all 50 states two presidential elections in a row. By the end of 2009, 146 Libertarians were holding elected offices. Tonie Nathan , running as the Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate in the 1972 presidential election with John Hospers as
22646-413: The party ranked third in voter registration nationally with 693,634 . Libertarians have had limited success in electing candidates at the state and local level. Since the party's creation, 10 Libertarians have been elected to state legislatures and some other state legislators have switched parties after being originally elected as Republicans or Democrats. The most recent Libertarian candidate elected to
22815-438: The party's biennial national convention. National convention delegates vote on changes to the party's national platform and bylaws and elect officers and "at-large" representatives to the party's National Committee. The National Committee also has "regional representatives", some of whom are appointed by delegate caucuses at the national convention whereas others are appointed by the chairpersons of LP state affiliate chapters within
22984-442: The party's presidential candidate). This is the most-used number by party activists. As of December 2017, the Libertarian Party reported that there were 14,445 donating members. Historically, dues were $ 15 throughout the 1980s; in 1991, they were increased to $ 25. Between February 1, 2006, and the close of the 2006 Libertarian party convention on May 31, 2006, dues were set to $ 0. The latter was controversial and de facto reversed by
23153-489: The people rather than from above. This belief would influence later revolutionary movements. As a trustee, government was expected to serve the interests of the people, not the rulers; and rulers were expected to follow the laws enacted by legislatures. Locke also held that the main purpose of men uniting into commonwealths and governments was for the preservation of their property. Despite the ambiguity of Locke's definition of property, which limited property to "as much land as
23322-433: The philosophy that fundamentally doubts authority and advocates transforming society by reform or revolution. Libertarian philosopher Roderick T. Long defines libertarianism as "any political position that advocates a radical redistribution of power from the coercive state to voluntary associations of free individuals", whether "voluntary association" takes the form of the free market or of communal co-operatives. According to
23491-400: The political right. Meanwhile, some proponents of free-market anti-capitalism in the United States consciously label themselves as left-libertarians and see themselves as part of a broad libertarian left. While the term libertarian had been substantially synonymous with anarchism and seen by many as part of the left, continuing today as part of the libertarian left in opposition to
23660-528: The presidential candidate, was the first female candidate in the United States to receive an electoral vote. The 2012 election Libertarian Party presidential candidate, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and his running mate, former judge Jim Gray , received the highest number of votes—more than 1.2 million—of any Libertarian presidential candidate at the time. He was renominated for president in 2016 , this time choosing former Massachusetts Governor William Weld as his running mate. Johnson/Weld shattered
23829-587: The protection of an individual's freedom from powers of government and private ownership. In contrast, while condemning governmental encroachment on personal liberties, modern American libertarians support freedoms based on their agreement with private property rights. The abolition or privatization of amenities or entitlements controlled by the government is a common theme in modern American libertarian writings. According to modern American libertarian Walter Block , left-libertarians and right-libertarians agree with certain libertarian premises, but "where [they] differ
23998-516: The replacement of all state institutions with private alternatives. During this time period, the term "libertarian" became used by growing numbers of people to advocate laissez-faire capitalism and strong private property rights such as in land, infrastructure and natural resources. This libertarianism, a revival of classical liberalism in the United States , occurred due to other American liberals abandoning classical liberalism and embracing progressivism and economic interventionism in
24167-407: The rights of any individual." The previous version of the Statement of Principles adopted at the party's first convention in 1972, in contrast, affirmatively endorsed the minarchist perspective with statements such as "Since government has only one legitimate function, the protection of individual rights...." It was agreed that the topic of anarchism would not even be on the table for discussion until
24336-785: The rights of civilians to keep and bear arms. It calls for Constitutional limitations on government as well as the elimination of most state functions. It includes a "Self-determination" section which quotes from the Declaration of Independence and reads: "Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty". It also includes an "Omissions" section which reads: "Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval". The party favors minimally regulated markets,
24505-497: The rise of social liberalism, classical liberalism was called economic liberalism . Later, the term was applied as a retronym , to distinguish earlier 19th-century liberalism from social liberalism. By modern standards, in the United States , the bare term liberalism often means social liberalism, but in Europe and Australia , the bare term liberalism often means classical liberalism. Classical liberalism gained full flowering in
24674-548: The scope of their opposition to existing economic and political systems . Schools of libertarian thought offer a range of views regarding the legitimate functions of state and non-state power . Different categorizations have been used to distinguish these various forms of libertarianism. Scholars have identified distinct libertarian perspectives on the nature of property and capital , typically delineating them along left–right or socialist – capitalist axes. Libertarianism has been broadly shaped by liberal ideas. In
24843-404: The state for being the defender of private property and believe capitalism entails wage slavery and another form of coercion and domination related to that of the state. There are a number of different left-libertarian positions on the state, which can range from advocating for its complete abolition to advocating for a more decentralized and limited government with social ownership of
25012-468: The takeover, non-Mises affiliated members walked out , criticizing the group for lacking in libertarian orthodoxy, as well as condemning several racist statements that members of the Caucus had made in the past. More ardent members of the party started to splinter, with Pennsylvania, that state with the most elected Libertarian officeholders, seeing a hardliner Mises-affiliated member, Rob Cowburn being named chairman, resulting in dissidents splitting to form
25181-475: The term libertarian socialist to avoid anarchism's negative connotations and emphasize its connections with socialism. The revival of free-market ideologies during the mid-to-late 20th century came with disagreement over what to call the movement. While many believers in economic freedom prefer the term libertarian , some free-market conservatives reject the term's association with the 1960s New Left and its connotations of libertine hedonism. The movement
25350-403: The uncorrupted classical sense. At best, this is awkward and subject to misunderstanding. Here is a suggestion: Let those of us who love liberty trade-mark and reserve for our own use the good and honorable word "libertarian." Subsequently, many Americans with classical liberal beliefs began to describe themselves as libertarians . One person who popularized the term libertarian in this sense
25519-573: The vote in a two-way race in Arkansas , the highest percentage ever for a Libertarian candidate in a Senate election. In 2016 , Joe Miller received 29% of the vote in a four-way race in Alaska . In 2002 , Michael Cloud received 18% of the vote in a three-way race in Massachusetts . In 2018 , Gary Johnson received 15% of the vote in a three-way race in New Mexico . In 2012 , Joel Balam received 32% of
25688-588: The vote in a two-way race in Kansas's 3rd congressional district , the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a House election. In 2022 , Mike Kolls received 31% of the vote in a two-way race in Texas's 26th congressional district . In 1998 , William Chipman received 28% of the vote in a two-way race in Mississippi's 2nd congressional district . Libertarian Libertarianism (from French : libertaire , itself from
25857-446: The words of Arthur Schlesinger Jr. : When the growing complexity of industrial conditions required increasing government intervention in order to assure more equal opportunities, the liberal tradition, faithful to the goal rather than to the dogma, altered its view of the state. ... There emerged the conception of a social welfare state, in which the national government had the express obligation to maintain high levels of employment in
26026-450: The words of William Jennings Bryan , " You shall not crucify this nation on a cross of gold ". Classical liberalism remained the orthodox belief among American businessmen until the Great Depression . The Great Depression in the United States saw a sea change in liberalism, with priority shifting from the producers to consumers. Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal represented the dominance of modern liberalism in politics for decades. In
26195-404: Was Murray Rothbard , who began publishing libertarian works in the 1960s. Rothbard described this modern use of the words overtly as a "capture" from his enemies, writing that "for the first time in my memory, we, 'our side,' had captured a crucial word from the enemy. 'Libertarians' had long been simply a polite word for left-wing anarchists, that is for anti-private property anarchists, either of
26364-450: Was called an "instant" membership, but these are referred to as "signature members". People joining the party are also asked to pay dues, which are on a sliding scale starting at $ 25 per year. Lifetime membership is granted with a $ 1,500 donation in one calendar year. Dues-paying members receive a subscription to the party's national newspaper, LP News . Since 2006, membership in the party's state affiliates has been separate from membership in
26533-419: Was challenged by what he called the "new Liberalism of France" that was characterised by egalitarianism and a "rationalistic consciousness". In 1848, Francis Lieber distinguished between what he called "Anglican and Gallican Liberty". Lieber asserted that "independence in the highest degree, compatible with safety and broad national guarantees of liberty, is the great aim of Anglican liberty, and self-reliance
26702-506: Was defeated for re-election in 2016. Aubrey Dunn Jr. , the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands , switched his voter registration from Republican to Libertarian in January 2018. In doing so, Dunn became the first official elected to a statewide partisan office to have Libertarian voter registration. Bold indicates race where Libertarian candidate was elected to office In 2020 , Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. received 33% of
26871-467: Was desirable for the state to exist. The purpose of this agreement was to make the Libertarian Party a " big tent " that would welcome more ideologically diverse groups of people interested in reducing the size and scope of government. Consequently, the 1974 platform included a "Statement of Principles" which focused on statements arguing for getting government out of various activities, and used phrases such as "where governments exist they must not violate
27040-584: Was in 1789, when William Belsham wrote about libertarianism in the context of metaphysics. As early as 1796, libertarian came to mean an advocate or defender of liberty, in the sense of a supporter of republicanism , when the London Packet printed on 12 February the following: "Lately marched out of the Prison at Bristol, 450 of the French Libertarians". It was again used in a republican sense in 1802 in
27209-579: Was in the common interest that all individuals be able to secure their own economic self-interest. They were critical of what would come to be the idea of the welfare state as interfering in a free market . Despite Smith's resolute recognition of the importance and value of labour and of labourers, classical liberals criticized labour's group rights being pursued at the expense of individual rights while accepting corporations' rights , which led to inequality of bargaining power . Classical liberals argued that individuals should be free to obtain work from
27378-482: Was intervention on behalf of consumers. The Nation magazine espoused liberalism every week starting in 1865 under the influential editor Edwin Lawrence Godkin (1831–1902). The ideas of classical liberalism remained essentially unchallenged until a series of depressions , thought to be impossible according to the tenets of classical economics , led to economic hardship from which the voters demanded relief. In
27547-403: Was introduced in the late 18th century as a leftist movement. They believed these goals required a free economy with minimal government interference. Some elements of Whiggery were uncomfortable with the commercial nature of classical liberalism. These elements became associated with conservatism. Classical liberalism was the dominant political theory in Britain from the early 19th century until
27716-567: Was maximised when the government took a "hands off" attitude toward the economy. Historian Kathleen G. Donohue argues: [A]t the center of classical liberal theory [in Europe] was the idea of laissez-faire . To the vast majority of American classical liberals, however, laissez-faire did not mean no government intervention at all. On the contrary, they were more than willing to see government provide tariffs, railroad subsidies, and internal improvements, all of which benefited producers. What they condemned
27885-586: Was officially formed on December 11, 1971, in Colorado Springs . The organizers of the party drew inspiration from the works and ideas of the prominent Austrian school economist Murray Rothbard . The founding of the party was prompted in part due to concerns about the Nixon administration 's wage and price controls, the Vietnam War , conscription , and the introduction of fiat money . The party generally supports
28054-461: Was on the Arizona ballot instead of the nominee, Harry Browne) 2016, and have reached 50-state ballot access for the 2020 election. In April 2012, the Libertarian Party of Nebraska successfully lobbied for a reform in ballot access with the new law requiring parties to requalify every four years instead of two. Following the 2012 election, the party gained automatic ballot status in 30 states. Following
28223-493: Was printed from 9 June 1858 to 4 February 1861 in New York City. Sébastien Faure , another French libertarian communist, began publishing a new Le Libertaire in the mid-1890s while France's Third Republic enacted the so-called villainous laws ( lois scélérates ) which banned anarchist publications in France. Libertarianism has frequently been used to refer to anarchism and libertarian socialism since this time. In
28392-460: Was to organize a national convention for the nomination of candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, and to expand into more states. In 1972, "Libertarian Party" was chosen as the party's name, selected over "New Liberty Party". The first official slogan of the Libertarian Party was " There ain't no such thing as a free lunch " (abbreviated "TANSTAAFL"), a phrase popularized by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1966 novel The Moon Is
28561-511: Was turning against them. By the First World War, the Liberal Party had largely abandoned classical liberal principles. The changing economic and social conditions of the 19th century led to a division between neo-classical and social (or welfare) liberals, who while agreeing on the importance of individual liberty differed on the role of the state. Neo-classical liberals, who called themselves "true liberals", saw Locke's Second Treatise as
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