Libertarianism is a new political philosophy.
Although its roots can be traced back throughout the history of ideas, it is only within the last twenty years that it has emerged as a well defined political philosophy. What it is based on is a new idea regarding the proper role of government in a free society. Today we live in a world in which virtually all countries are rushing headlong toward some form of statism, whether in the form of Communism or the welfare state. We are told on all sides that the world has become too complex for the individual to be allowed to direct his own life. In the civil area, Libertarianism supports all civil liberties and opposes all attempts by government to reshape its citizens' lives.