Government Theory, Part 2

Author: [British] John Locke
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: John Locke (1632—1704) was one of the liberalist thinkers of the British bourgeoisie in the 17th century. He was the theorist and defender of the 1688 British political coup and the alliance between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. This book is the second part of Locke's Two Treatises of Government (1690) and one of the main works of his political thought. The first part, The First Treatise of Government (1680), primarily criticizes the theory of the divine right of kings. This book systematically proposes the theoretical foundation of the bourgeois revolution, with its content being more important than the first part, hence it is translated first for the reference of legal and political theorists. In this book, Locke attempts to explain the origin and nature of the state using natural law theory. Starting from the state of nature, he criticizes the feudal autocratic system, advocating the inviolability of private property, the state based on a contract, the legislative power as the supreme authority, the separation of state powers, and the people's right to resist tyranny. Locke's work had a significant impact on bourgeois political thought.