liberal democracies
Rights-based representative governments
Liberal democracies are political systems that combine democratic elections with constitutional protections for individual rights and civil liberties.
The "liberal" here refers not to left-wing politics but to the classical liberal tradition emphasizing rule of law, separation of powers, free speech, and limits on government authority.
Most Western nations describe themselves as liberal democracies, though critics debate how well any particular country lives up to the ideal.
The postwar order was built around liberal democracies cooperating through international institutions.
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- individual rightsFreedoms held by persons
- electionsFormal choosing of officials
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- open societySociety permitting free inquiry
electoral system · free press · judicial review · minority rights · habeas corpus · human rights · checks and balances · governments · rule of law · political freedom · accountability · voting rights · peaceful transfer · due process · human dignity · freedoms · anti-discrimination laws · constitutions
liberal democraciesauthoritarian regimes
Governments with unchecked power
dictatorships · autocracies · tyrannies · military juntas · absolute monarchies
liberal democraciestotalitarianism
State controls everything absolutely
authoritarianism · despotism · oppressive regimes · police states
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