Authoritarian Regimes and Individual Liberty Essay Example

What does it mean to live, to be human? Why do we call ourselves human beings when our whole existence is based around what we do? A more fitting name would be human “doings”, as we never seem to be content enough just to exist. A continuous cycle of peace and turbulence, of love and hate, of life and death, and choices, is what it means to be human. The choice to live, the ability to choose what life means to you, to pursue your curiosity and look beyond the box you were born into is what it means to be human. The way that authoritarian regimes suppress individual liberty is detrimental to the ability of the individual and the whole of humanity to flourish and grow.

John Locke, 17th century political philosopher, is often associated with the concept of “liberty”. His theory of the “unalienable” natural rights that every human is born with has been a founding philosophy of countless social movements.

From an objective stance, it is easy to argue that liberty is not required for life. A human will still live without the right over their own body, choices, and environment. Life may even be better if regulated to fit in perfect synchrony, as is “apparent” in communist societies. Communism and socialism have a negative connotation to many people. Why? Utopian societies represent a life where socioeconomic classes do not exist and basic needs are met. What's the dilemma? The issue with this utopian ideology is that it denies a fundamental aspect of human nature, hope. Without the possibility of change, the ability to pursue happiness, and the hope of obtaining something longed for, life loses its meaning. Liberty is life for the simple fact that humans need liberty to give their existence value.

Coming back to John Locke, this political philosopher proposed something so profound that it became the backbone of America. His theory of natural rights states that humans are born with the right to “life, liberty, and property.” Focusing on liberty, Locke argues that “individuals should be free to make choices about how to conduct their own lives as long as they do not interfere with the liberty of others.” The solid reasoning behind liberty is hard to grasp. It is most easily understood when one is put in a position in which their individual power is denied and the world is narrowed. This is what led the fathers of America to declare independence from Great Britain.

The United States of America is founded on liberty. Although America is a young nation compared to the historic European governments, American liberty gave birth to monumental innovation. It is reported that “The United States is again among the top three most innovative nations in the world, according to the 2019 Global Innovation Index. The U.S. is also considered the No. 1 high-income economy for quality innovation.” What alters this perspective on liberty, the mindset that leads people to reject the theories of John Locke, is primarily ignorance. In this context, the term “ignorance” is not equivalent to stupidity. What is meant by “ignorance” is the attempt to define the world through scientific analysis and labels by people who lack the ability to understand the obscure fact that the meaning of life is elusive. They attempt to fit humanity into a box, to make a plan for perfection, while forgetting that human beings are not statistics and cannot be regimented. Without the hope of possibility, there is no incentive to improve. Communism takes away the possibility of growth and personal satisfaction. Throughout history, there have been repeated attempts to “fix” society. In 1848, the German philosopher Karl Marx published the Communist Manifesto. It appealed greatly to the working class in how it promised a comfortable lifestyle for all and led to a revolt against capitalism. Russia, for example, had a large population of impoverished citizens, so the appeal for communism was great. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the traditional hierarchy within the government was destroyed by Bolsheviks under leader Vladamir Lenin. Under their leadership, Russia would become subject to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which was the first communist-state to be established. As you would expect (since communism doesn’t work outside of simulation) it failed. When the original leader Vladimir Lenin passed away, Joseph Stalin declared himself dictator in 1929 (again, there is a reason that the word “dictator” often has a negative connotation). Threatened by the rising Nazi party in Germany and the death of a prominent Boshlevki leader Sergie Kirov, Stalin launched the horrific “Great Purge.” This was one of the bloodiest and ruthless campaigns in all of recorded history. Paranoid Stalin set out to execute any and all dissenters of the Communist Party. “Although estimates vary, most experts believe at least 750,000 people were executed during the Great Purge, which took place between about 1936 and 1938. More than a million other people were sent to forced labor camps, known as Gulags.” Another consequence of a lack of liberty is being slaughtered for your opinion. Each time a communist nation rises, death follows. It is true that war is inevitable, and death is inevitable, but individuals are never more persecuted than when they live under communism. Communism takes away life. Liberty is related to economic prosperity because of how it is linked to social-mobility. Unfortunately, social classes are inevitable. It is human nature to compare and rank based on materialistic values. But, when individual liberty is granted, it ensures that power is fluid. Power will not remain within a static few, as it does in socialist countries. This is far more important than many realize. Not only does it help prevent corruption (not completely I will cede), but it also provides incentive. This incentive motivates individuals to expand and reach their full potential. With this in mind, the economy would not thrive without the individuals who pursue their ideas and are brave enough to use their liberty to become entrepreneurs. On a national scale, the result is economic diversity. Economic diversity creates economic stability. Free markets contribute to the health of the economy as well. Growth is a promise when people are allowed to manage money without intense federal regulation. Commerce regulates itself with the flow of supply and demand, but it is easy to forget that money, like liberty, is a social construct. Currency was created to provide a sense of security because we do not trust each other to be honest. This does not minimize its importance, but it is vital to keep in mind that the economy is linked to the behavior of the citizens. When citizens have a reason to strive for economic prosperity, it benefits the nation. So, when authoritarian regimes suppress individual liberty, the national economy ultimately suffers. Liberty, communism, social construct, existentialism, everything that was mentioned in this essay, are all rooted in the “illusion of invulnerability”. The “illusion of invulnerability” is the relentless cloud of optimism that humans are blessed (or cursed) with. It was believed, and is continually believed, that authoritarian regimes can work. But they cannot. Communism at its core was not created in malice, but it’s practice indisputably leads to suffering.

Liberty is essential for humankind, if not for ethical reasons, then for growth. The effect that authoritarianism has on the individuals under its power is counterintuitive. Regimes such as these suppress the ability for people to flourish and grow because liberty is, in fact, essential for life.