Libertarian And Republican: Against Or With Each Other?

In a political environment under the dominance of a duo political party, most individuals confuse a republican and a libertarian. Although the two groups are quite similar, there are several principle differences between them.

Can you tell apart a republican and a libertarian? Let us dive in to check on their fundamental concepts, similarities, and differences.

What Is A Libertarian?

From its Latin definition, Libertarianism is a political belief that stands by freedom as the vital principle. Individuals under this group prioritize independence and political freedom, which spotlight freedom of choice and free associations.

They generally advocate for transparency in government operations, individual freedom, and privacy. Libertarians with government positions in the US have brought liberty into the real world.

Key Concepts Of Libertarianism

What do libertarians believe and value most in the government? The simple response points to liberty. Libertarians strongly support a government that does not interfere with their business and community operations.

They believe every person has the right to live freely, as long as they do not harm others.

Individualism

Libertarians put weight on an individual’s dignity, which constitutes a person’s responsibility and rights. One of the most significant victories of the philosophy is the extension of dignity. It applies to a pool of individuals, including women, those of different races, and nationalities.

Rule of Law

Libertarianism philosophy is different from libertinism, where individuals disregard moral boundaries. And an ideology where people can do what they want without considering others’ rights.

It generally spotlights a community of freedom under the law. Persons can continue with their day-to-day lives without standing in the way of the equal rights of others.

The rule of law means a set of legal rules, not unreasonable commands, that govern its people. The rules need to protect its people and their lives.

Government

Governments exist to protect the rights of their people. Libertarians have significant opposition to a concentrated form of power on limited governments. Why? Because of its high intensity of corruption in their operations.

They, therefore, want to limit and disperse power through the Constitution. Libertarians believe that by doing so, individual liberty will arise and sustain the country’s economic growth.

Free markets

For survival, individuals engage in different economic activities. Having property rights means there is the right to exchange with the support of agreements.

A free market entails a system of free persons with the ultimate objective of multiplying wealth.

Libertarians believe that minimal government interventions in people’s economic activities will make the country’s economy more prosperous.

The goodness of production

Libertarians honor individuals’ rights to enjoy the fruits of their hard work. They analyzed the society into classes; those who create wealth and those who use force to take wealth from others.

In parallel to that, in September 1824, Thomas Jefferson thought, “there are more machinery of government than it is necessary, too many parasites are living on the labor of the industrious.”

Today libertarians are defensive of the rights of productive people to enjoy the fruits of their labor against a set of individuals who grab their earnings to spend on political operations.

Republicanism Definition

Res publica is a Latin phrase that means ‘public affair.’ What does the philosophy of republicanism mean? In general, the ideology expresses public power that creates common good for all those under the rule.

Members of the republic adopt this philosophy. The republic is a type of government in which citizens elect leaders who pass laws to the entire republic.

A perfect republic is one in which there is the election of leaders from the working citizens whose serving terms are of definite timelines.

Republicanism dominated American soil during and after the American Revolution between the years 1765 and 1783.

The Americans had gained independence after defeating the British in the American Revolutionary War during the thirteen colonies. Influential American Fathers, including Benjamin Franklin and Patrick Henry, passionately advocated for republican values.

Before that, republicanism existed in Rome, Venice, and modern Switzerland. The Romans were against their king in 500 BCE and established their republic.

One of the notable quotes from Abraham Lincoln was that our liberty and safety depended upon preserving the Constitution as our fathers made it unscathed.

The USA residents are the significant masters of both the courts and the Congress. The desired goal is to bring down the individuals who corrupt the Constitution. And not to overthrow the Constitution.

Key Concepts Of Republicanism

Republicanism emphasizes several fundamental concepts, including the negative implications of corruption and the importance of the government entity’s separation of powers.

Also, other concepts might include; advantages of political participation and the honor of the rule of law. The concepts above lead us to the most vital point: political liberty.

Political liberty heavily focuses on private affairs that are free from government interference and stress self-discipline.

Leaders of a republic system stay out of individuals’ lives and only intervene in case of a violation threat guaranteed by the Constitution. Unlike a monarchy type of system, the government employs dictatorship on its people.

Libertarian And Republican Differences

Libertarians and Republicans have common ground similarities. They both support economic freedom, national defense as well as respect and rights to property.

The two groups differ when it comes to matters concerning social issues. Republicans are in great favor of actions such as the prohibition of abortion or legalizing of drugs. Conversely, the libertarians firmly stick with the stance that matches individuals to their beat.

Privacy

Both parties underpin the Fourth amendment of the US constitution, which protects personal privacy. The republicans desire narrower liberty and only oppose the utilization of aerial surveillance.

On the other hand, the libertarians’ scope involved the extension of citizen protection from unreasonable searches on records held on to by third parties. They also support the abolition of laws opposing crimes such as the consumption of drugs in private affairs.

Education

In the US, the Republican group advocates for education finances at both local and state levels for their children.

They believe that by doing so, the country will produce a better education system. Contrarily, the libertarian support a decentralized system that allows parents to consider all the funds used in their children’s education.

International affairs

The republicans and the libertarians here have primary differences in the association of the government with international affairs. The republicans strongly advocate for a vital role for the government when associating with international affairs.

During their 2012 party platform, the group raised a list of concerns on security threats to support their thought that the government needed to allocate more funds to the defense budget. One of the items was the pursuit of a nuclear weapon from Iran.

The libertarians argued that the US must prioritize its efforts to promote peace by shunning foreign associations and stressing against external attacks.

FAQs

1. How can I become a Libertarian?

You can become a libertarian by declaring that you are against violent means to meet your political goals. You are proclaiming that no individual, even the government, should interfere with individual property rights in the country. By doing so, you are affirming liberty for everyone.

2. What are some examples of modern republicanism?

Examples of modern republicanism are the United States and France. Both nations once had a monarchy type of government, ruled by a king or queen.

Another country is Sweden, which was also a monarchy. The European country abolished its dictatorial system. Above are some of the examples of modern republicanism.

3. What kind of positions do libertarians hold?

Multiple libertarians hold top government positions in the United States. They are all over the county, mayors, and even city councilors’ offices. For many years, US residents vote for libertarians candidates during election years.

4. What’s the difference between republicanism and democracy?

Democracy is a philosophy that supports individual freedom and a government-regulated economy. In contrast, republicanism is a system that tends to be conservative on social values alongside a free-driven economy—a quite general difference between the two ideologies.

5. Are libertarians liberal or conservative?

Libertarians are neither liberal nor conservative. Generally, they advocate actions for personal and economic liberty. They support actions such as lowering taxes rather than government interventions.

They are against statutes that intervene in personal choices. Libertarians think individuals should have the freedom to make choices that do not harm other’s rights.

In A nutshell

A libertarian and a republican have a clear difference. We have seen a republican supports a form of government that exercises public power for all under the rule’s shared benefit.

Conversely, a libertarian favors a system with minimal government interference and values individual freedom. Their primary difference is in the concept of social issues.

Libertarians argue that citizens need to have the freedom of choice. But, the republicans support actions prohibiting social issues, for example, legalizing marijuana or abortion.

We have also checked on their difference with the democrats. I hope you can now tell apart between a republican and a libertarian.