Liberalism

Liberalism is a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality.

Classically liberalism is a political ideology that advocates civil liberties under the rule of law with an emphasis on economic and personal freedom. Many countries such as Australia still use the term "Liberal" in its classical sense sense. In political science, the term Classical liberalism is used to distinguish between the two schools of thought.

United States
The term "liberalism" became associated with "left-wing" politics in the United States following the second world war. The term "progressive" became associated with other political parties besides the Republican party and the Democratic party in the early 20th century. . With the rise of Fascist dictatorships in Italy and Germany during a worldwide depression, it became important for Franklin Roosevelt to emphasize the benefits of liberal democracy over Fascism and Communism. Roosevelt closely associated "New Deal" with liberal democracy, and opponents of Roosevelt came to associate "liberal" with Roosevelt's policies.