ÎNTRE LIBERALISM ȘI CONSERVATORISM: CONSIDERAȚII ASUPRA OPȚIUNILOR IDEOLOGICE ALE LUI GEORGE BARIȚIU

Abstract:

The purpose of the present study was to identify new ideological sources that influenced George Barițiu and to analyze the connections between his political ideas and two main political views of his time: liberalism and conservatism. The first part of our research is dedicated to Barițiu’s political culture, aiming at identifying his intellectual models, his relations with the Hungarian liberals but also with the main authors of Western liberalism. The influence of Montesquieu’s writings on some of his ideas is being underlined. In the second part of the paper Barițiu’s view regarding the ideal rapport between the individual and the state comes into focus. His opinions concerning this topic were highly influenced by two beliefs related to: 1) the fact that people through their character and their actions must influence the state and to 2) the fact that people involved in public affairs must be independent. The third part is dedicated to Barițiu’s ideas regarding the political regimes, more specifically his view on parliamentarism. The conclusions aim at outlining the ideological profile of the well-known Transylvanian clerk based on the views of the American political scientist Sanford Lakoff regarding conservative liberalism.

Keywords:

liberalism, conservatism, George Barițiu, political regimes, Transylvania.