Dbq Essay On Government Control

971 Words4 Pages

The source is stating that a country is at it’s best when the individual is allowed to express themselves in a way that is free from government control. In doing this it allows for a society that is reflective of the individual rather than the government. When society is based on the individual, government interference will be lessened because the need for it will no longer be prevalent to society. This source is for classical liberalism and reflects the ideologies of philosopher Adam Smith who was strictly for individual benefit and limited government control.

Based on historical events it is wrong to have lessened government control because it can lead to civil unrest and lack of authority. In order for society to function properly it …show more content…

The United States, the richest country at this time, was one of the hardest hit leaving many people out of a job. With little money to feed their families, many often went hungry. This was known as The Great Depression. This event changed the way society looks at economics in Liberal states and brought about changes. With the lack of economic control by the government the people’s self-interests no longer became something that would benefit society. If there had been more regulation of stocks by the government and rules regulating how much money people could take out of the bank the effects of the depression could possibly have been lessened. Rather, self interests got in the way and peoples freedoms became restricted very fast due to no intervention. If the government said the people were allowed to take out maximum thirty dollars a month instead of cashing out their life savings, there might have been a better chance of the banks not going bankrupt, or at a much slower …show more content…

during this time and he aspired for more government involvement in economics and advocated for a more modern liberal way of thinking that still held some classical liberal ideas. He brought about the New Deal. It ensured everyone was taken care of including: business owners, workers and even the farmers. He also advocated for workers rights. Franklin knew that limited government control leads to unhappy people because the individuals who are not as fortunate are the one’s being pushed aside and taken advantage of, such as the working class. If Franklin hadn’t came to power the great depression probably would have lasted longer than it did and the effects much greater such as civil riots for change and copious amounts of debt. He recognized this early on and because of his ideas America made the change from a free market classical liberal society to a more mixed economy. This was a good thing because it allowed the business owners to still make a profit without exploiting the worker and set a standard price for things to be sold at. In doing this it ensured that everyone had the freedom to aspire to gain wealth fairly without anyone being exploited all the while keeping in mind the need for government control to regulate these rules set in place. Without them people would resort back to Adam Smith’s philosophy of classical liberalism where every individual is for himself and if you go it alone and fail it’s your

Open Document