Comment on the Decline of Liberalism. [150 words]
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 Liberalism as dominant ideology of the modern West → now faces accumulated crisis of its own making
Route 2 Liberalism’s promise — individual rights, rule of law, democratic governance → neoliberal variant betrayed that promise
Neoliberal inequality → Stiglitz + Piketty → economic discontent → populist backlash → Mounk: liberal democracy in retreat → Crouch: post-democracy gap → cultural backlash against multiculturalism + progressive liberalism → external pressures: authoritarian states, geopolitical fragmentation, self-subversion
Decline is not extinction: liberal institutions, rights framework, and constitutional order retain legitimacy and capacity for renewal
Route 1 Liberalism needs welfare correction and institutional renewal to recover social legitimacy
Route 2 The crisis is real, but liberalism’s alternatives have not produced a coherent replacement — the project remains unfinished
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Political Ideologies — 20 questions in the Vault.
- Explain how the slogan ‘the personal is political’ addresses the issue of women’s oppression and discrimination?
- Mention the difference between Italian and German brands of fascism.
- Fascism displays an ambivalent stance towards parliamentary democracy. Explain.
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.