Freedom

Freedom or liberty - the terms will be used interchangeably in this account - is obviously of fundamental importance to politics. The ideal of a free society is one which animates a range of political positions and its pursuit has been a galvanising force in both national and international politics. It is, however, a difficult concept to analyse and indeed some of the complexities about liberty reflect an intrinsic connexion between liberty and wider ranges of political ideas to which it may be differently linked and understood. In their turn such ideas will be linked to ways of life and political cultures of which they were or are a part.