rise of neoliberalism

8.2

A period when governments adopt free market policies and reduce state control since the late 1900s

noun
/raɪz əv ˌniːoʊˈlɪbərəlɪzəm/

Formal

: auge del neoliberalismo

The economic changes in the country contributed to the rise of neoliberalism in the late 20th century.

Examples

Many critics argue that the rise of neoliberalism has led to increased inequality in society.
Historians often debate the factors that spurred the rise of neoliberalism during the 1980s.
These discussions led to the transformations of 1989 and, unintentionally, the rise of neoliberalism.

Blog text (8)
But here, too, the sociological imagination has been significantly undermined by the rise of neoliberalism, the de-socializing impact of which on Western thought has been palpable.

Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

neoliberalism

vsrise of neoliberalism

Specialized

5 8.4

An idea that favors free markets, less regulation, and smaller government spending

refers to the historical period when those policies became widespread

Surface Forms

rise of neoliberalism singular

rises of neoliberalism plural

Morphology

rise + of + neoliberalism

The meaning is compositionally built from 'rise' (an increase) + 'of' + 'neoliberalism' (the ideology/policy set), so a learner who knows those words can infer it denotes an increase in the prevalence or influence of neoliberalism. This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common nominal construction and is therefore directly comprehensible to B1 learners familiar with the constituents.

Etymology

Rise of neoliberalism uses a clear picture: rise is like something coming up, and neoliberalism is a new way of thinking about the economy that favors free markets and private business. In the late 20th century these ideas spread and governments reduced their control, so the expression means 'the time or process when these ideas became stronger and more common'.