Liberalism and Its Discontents
Liberalism and Its Discontents
A short book about the challenges to liberalism from the right and the left by the bestselling author of The Origins of Political Order.
Classical liberalism is in a state of crisis. Developed in the wake of Europe’s wars over religion and nationalism, liberalism is a system for governing diverse societies, which is grounded in fundamental principles of equality and the rule of law. It emphasizes the rights of individuals to pursue their own forms of happiness free from encroachment by government.
It's no secret that liberalism didn't always live up to its own ideals. In America, many people were denied equality before the law. Who counted as full human beings worthy of universal rights was contested for centuries, and only recently has this circle expanded to include women, racial and ethnic minorities, and others. Conservatives complain that liberalism empties the common life of meaning.
In this short, clear account of our current political discontents, Fukuyama offers an essential defense of a revitalized liberalism for the twenty-first century.
PRESS & REVIEWS
- Liberalism and Its Discontents, Kirkus Reviews (March 1, 2022)
- Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama review – a defence of liberalism… from a former neocon, The Guardian (March 8, 2022)
- Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama review — history didn’t end, so what next for liberals?, The Times (March 12, 2022)
- Liberalism and Its Discontents — Francis Fukuyama on fixing democracy, Financial Times (March 14, 2022)
- Liberalism and its Discontents, Francis Fukuyama. Book review by Iain Macwhirter, The Herald (March 26, 2022)
- Liberalism and Its Discontents, Library Journal (April 1, 2022)
- A Country of Their Own, Foreign Affairs (April 1, 2022)
- Moderation in the Name of Liberty is No Vice, Washington Monthly (April 3, 2022)
- Francis Fukuyama's liberalism and its discontents. Kevin Rudd's China, the US and an avoidable war., ABC Radio National (April 9, 2022)
- Book Review: Francis Fukuyama "Liberalism and Its Discontents," The Innovation in Politics Institute (April 19, 2022)
- Yascha Mounk recommends 6 political books, The Week (May 2, 2022)
- What Is Liberalism?, American Purpose (May 10, 2022)
- Francis Fukuyama Predicted the End of History. It’s Back (Again)., The New York Times (May 10, 2022)