I identified three characteristics of liberalism in a post in 2024. Humility, because every individual and party recognizes that the truth is not self-evident, and the other side could be right; tolerance, because it is stupid to be intolerant of people who may be right; and optimism, because we have the ability to learn by experience. But what is the opposite of liberalism?
Imagine a state in which the leaders believe the truth is on their side, and self-evident, so the opposition is clearly evil. As a result, they have no reason to tolerate dissent. In addition, they see society as being in decline, and view all transactions as being zero-sum, so the nation desperately needs to put up barriers and keep resources out of the hands of others.
Oh, wait. You don’t have to imagine that. It’s here.