When people think of liberalism and socialism, they tend to sometimes get the terms confused with one another. That is understandable considering our ever changing world of politics. While similar in some ways, there is a distinction between liberalism and socialism. However, in order to identify the differences between the two, one must analyze both side’s history and origin. The definition of liberalism has changed from its beginning to today. Liberalism consists of two types; classical liberalism and modern liberalism. Classical liberalism was based on ideas formed by John Locke and Adam Smith. Locke was known as the “originator of liberalism (Analyzing Politics, 5th ed.). In his book, Two Treatises of Government, Locke expressed that he agreed with the idea of limited government. He believed that as long as people followed the laws of nature, which are, preserve yourself, do not harm others, and help others if possible, then there would be little need for government intervention. Although Locke acknowledged that classes of rich and poor would be born through economic change, both him and Adam Smith believed that economic inequality was not necessarily “unjust or unfair (Analyzing Politics, 5th ed.). In the end, both Locke and Smith were in favor of limited government and Smith argued that government should be limited to security, roads, bridges, and schools. Modern liberalism was based on the ideas of English philosopher T.H. Green. Green argued against many of the ideas that classical liberalism was founded on and was in favor of an “interventionist government” (Analyzing Politics, 5th ed.) that would control the economy and social interactions. He believed that economic inequality was unfair and thought government intervention was necessary in order to have people living in poverty become productive members of society. The ideas of modern liberalism can be found in today’s liberal government, which started with Jane Addams’ opening of Hull House and Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal Policies. The liberal government of today is in favor of social programs such as social security and welfare. They are also in favor of higher taxes for the wealthy and business regulations. The Affordable Care Act, signed into law by Barack Obama, is another example of a social program. Through the ACA, the government has intervened on issues of health care, making it mandatory for all citizens of the United States to have health insurance or pay a tax fine. The idea of socialism was originated by German philosopher Georg W.F. Hegel and German theorist Karl Marx. According to Marx, capitalism creates a conflict between two groups of individuals; the proletariat (laborers) and the bourgeoisie (business owners). Marx believed that socialism was the way of keeping the positive effects of capitalism while getting rid of the negative ones and can be done by distributing resources that satisfy social needs, or in other words, sharing the wealth. The idea of socialism differs from both types of liberalism because with liberalism, there is still a wealthy and poor class, whereas with socialism, neither class exists. The United States government has operated both under classical and modern liberalism throughout the years. Classical liberal ideals are shared with some modern day conservatives because they too believe in limited government intervention in regards to business. Both versions of liberal ideals have been effective, although you do have some people that are displeased with either side. An example of socialism in modern day politics can be found in Cuba. Cuba’s Constitution of 1976 identified them as a socialist republic and their government operates under the ideas of Marx, Engels, and Lenin. However, their political party is known as the Communist Party of Cuba. Cuba, throughout the years, has been accused of many human rights violations. They have restricted use of the internet. Concerning their economy, Cuba has a state-controlled economy. The majority of employment is public sector. However, private sector employment does exist, but any private sector firm is required to pay the Cuban government if they want to hire a Cuban. As of July 2013, the average monthly income for Cubans was 466 pesos which converts to 19 US dollars (Wikipedia, “Cuba”). Throughout the years, Cubans have faced their fair share of turmoil. Many citizens have fled the country into the United States, that being said, I believe that a socialist government that has restrictive controls over its citizens and how much they earn is not effective in keeping the peace. When people look at socialist governments like Cuba, one can conclude that it is not a good idea, especially in America which was founded on freedom. There are some people who believe that some of Obama’s policies, including the ACA, promote socialism. However, I personally believe that as long as we have the Constitution on our side, a socialist government will never come to be.

Works Cited 1. Analyzing Politics, 5th ed. Ellen Grigsby 2012. 2. Wikipedia. “Cuba.” 2014.