西方自由主义的两种政治传统

Two Political Traditions of Western Liberalism

自由主义是西方国家的主流政治思潮。自由主义源于西方两种政治传统,即英美政治传统和欧洲大陆政治传统。两种政治传统尽管都形成于资产阶级革命时期,但无论是在理论内容上还是在政治形态上,二者都存在着显著的差异。自由主义的发展演变,始终体现着两种政治传统的精髓。两种政治传统在历史长河中显现的对立与融合,不仅促进了自由主义政治思想的发展,也在此基础上影响并形成了政治制度架构的理论。

Liberalism is a major political trend in Western countries. It originates from two Western political traditions, one of Anglo-America and the other of European continent. Although the two political traditions came into emergence during the same period of bourgeois revolution, there exist conspicuous differences between them both in theoretical content and political form. The development and evolution of liberalism show the quintessence of the two political traditions from beginning to end. The opposition and unity of the two political traditions shown in the long river of their growth has not only promoted the political and ideological development but also affected and brought into emergence the theory of the political system framework on such basis.