Awaiting the demise of the liberal order: Historicising the crisis of liberalism

In: Filozofija i društvo, Band 34, Heft 3, S. 495-513

Abstract

This review article analyses the merits and shortcomings of three recent
works by Matthew Rose, Peter Turchin, and Krishnan Nayar about the crisis in
Western liberal democracies and liberalism. By exploring the intellectual
and economic causes of the crisis, these authors are trying to establish a
historical model that would explain the current crisis through a
comprehensive account of the development of Western societies. In doing so,
they identify the detrimental role of the elites and the growing
inequalities as the major factor that historically contributes to the demise
of liberal values, endangering democratic rule of law. Therefore, the three
books are a warning that the demise of the liberal order will bring about
the resurgence of right-wing authoritarianism. However, all three authors
avoid discussing the nature of liberalism as the dominant ideology in the
West. This article presents a criticism of such models, arguing that any
discussion of the crisis of liberalism which avoids considerations about
liberalism itself and liberal ideologies, necessarily fails to encapsulate
the actual experience of the crisis. In addition, these models limit
history?s usefulness in interpreting the causes of the crisis and preventing
its consequences.