Freedom of Association

Freedom of association is a cherished liberal value, both for classical liberals who are generally antagonistic toward government interference in the choice made by individuals, and for contemporary liberals who are more sanguine about role of government. How-ever, there are fundamental differences between the two viewpoints in the status that they afford to associational freedom. While classical liberals ground their support for freedom of association on the core notion of individual liberty, contemporary liberals usually conceive of freedom of association as one amongrnany values that are necessary for a liberal democracy to flourish. Which position provides a better grounding for freedom of association? Is liberal democracy the core value, or does a liberal democracy become defensible to the extent that it protects the core value of individual freedom?