Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau SASP Civics

Hobbes 1649 – English Civil War breaks out that ends with the beheading of King Charles I Hobbes writes his famous book “Leviathan” to defend the absolute power of kings “Leviathan” means a giant monster – Hobbes think that the government should be like this giant monster Here is his explanation:

Hobbes State of Nature Hobbes says that there was a time without government called the “state of nature” where all people were equal – everyone could do whatever they needed to survive There were no laws or anyone to enforce them Everyone was afraid of danger and violence – life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” So, what was the way out?

Hobbes Social Contract People got together and agreed to give up their freedom to do whatever they wanted and choose a “sovereign” to impose order. He called this agreement the Social Contract The “sovereign” would make and enforce laws – the best version of a sovereign is a king, who would consistently enforce law The contract was among the people, not between them and the sovereign. Once chosen, he could not be rebelled against

The Enlightenment Period of intellectual and scientific awakening 1600’s – the 1700’s Contributors wanted to improve human conditions on earth rather than concern themselves with religion and the afterlife. These thinkers valued reason, science, religious tolerance, and what they called “natural rights”—life, liberty, and property. The ideas from Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau had a profound impact on the American and French Revolutions

Locke John Locke(1632-1704) Born after the English civil war He sided with the Protestant Parliament against the Roman Catholic King James II in the Glorious Revolution. This event reduced the power of the king and made Parliament the major authority in English government. In 1690, Locke published his “Two Treatises of Government”. He generally agreed with Hobbes about the brutality of the state of nature

Locke State of Nature Similar idea about the state of nature as a violent place as Hobbes Locke believed that certain inalienable (can’t be given up) “natural rights” to life, liberty, and property existed even in the state of nature.

Locke Social Contract: He believed that the Social Contract was an agreement between people and their governments Natural Rights of individuals limited the powers of the king – who did not have absolute power. The king should enforce law and protect the natural rights of the people If a sovereign violated these rights, the social contract was broken and the people could revolt against the government and put in a new one

Locke He believed that property was the most important natural right He favored representative government, like the English Parliament, where individuals represent different parts of the country in a national law making and governing body Believed that only male property owners should vote Believed that normal people were unfit to participate in government

Montesquieu Charles (Baron) de Montesquieu (1689-1755) Lived in France during the absolutists reign of Louis the XIV Came from a wealthy family and traveled through Europe extensively Published “The Spirit of the Laws” in 1748

Montesquieu State of Nature: Social Contract: Believed that people in the state of nature were fearful and so avoided violence and war Believed that the state of war started when people entered society Social Contract: None

Montesquieu Separation of Powers: When traveling in England, he thought he saw the King as the Executive power, the Parliament as the Legislative power, and the independent courts as the Judicial power. He thought that these branches all balanced each other in governing the country Government should be separated intro three branches: Legislative (makes laws), Executive (enforces laws), and Judicial (interprets laws)

Montesquieu Checks and Balances The Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches should each have different powers that will prevent each other from getting too powerful and controlling the country.

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Wrote that man was naturally good and was then corrupted by society Wrote “The Social Contract” in 1762 Agreed with Locke that people should never be forced to give up their natural rights Thought that there should be no separation of powers and that the power of government should be directly in the hands of the people

Rousseau State of Nature Believed that the savages in the state of nature were free, equal, peaceful, and happy. Inequality, murder, and war resulted when people began to claim ownership during in social life The powerful rich stole the land belonging to everyone and fooled the common people into accepting them as rulers. The social contract he saw in his time was not a willing agreement, it was fraud committed by the rich.

Rousseau Social Contract The right way to practice a social contract would be by giving up one’s rights, not to a king, but to a whole community. The community would then express its “general will” to make laws for the “public good” The way to do this was not by voting for representatives, but by participating in government directly by making and voting on laws – this would express the “general will” He had a small scale, city-like democracy in mind