What Is National Liberalism?
National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism… Part of the Liberal family.
Definition
National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism).
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: National liberalism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Constitutional and representative government.
- Economic liberalism.
- National unity and independence.
Origins
19th-century Germany, Italy and Central Europe.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where National Liberalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 80 | toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 52 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 27 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 71 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 47 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 85 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 35 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 71 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 58 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 19 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 60 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 27 | toward free market |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 47 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 37 | near the center |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Medical gender transition should not be available to minors. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The state should use public investment to shape the structure of the economy. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Conservative Liberalism, National Liberalism sits 15 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
- Compared with Civic Nationalism, National Liberalism sits 16 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Fiscal Conservatism, National Liberalism sits 24 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 National Liberalism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: National liberalism
- Wikipedia: National Liberalism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Liberalism
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Nationalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.