What Is Liberal Nationalism?
Liberal nationalism holds that national identity and self-determination are compatible with, and can support, liberal values such as individual rights, tolerance and democracy. Part of the Nationalist family.
Definition
Liberal nationalism holds that national identity and self-determination are compatible with, and can support, liberal values such as individual rights, tolerance and democracy.
Atlas definition: written by The Ideology Atlas. Writers and movements define ideologies in different ways; this is a short working definition.
Core ideas
- National self-determination.
- Individual rights and democracy.
- Shared national culture as a basis for solidarity.
Origins
19th-century national movements.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Giuseppe Mazzini, Yael Tamir
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Liberal Nationalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 65 | toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 35 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 23 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 74 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 43 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 70 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 34 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 74 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 38 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 12 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 44 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 42 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 43 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 28 | toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Abortion should be illegal in most or all cases. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Civic Nationalism, Liberal Nationalism sits 13 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Federalism, Liberal Nationalism sits 23 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
- Compared with Civic Republicanism, Liberal Nationalism sits 29 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Liberal Nationalism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Liberal Nationalism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Liberalism
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Nationalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.