Government Theory - Part 2

Author: (English) John Locke, translated by Ye Qifang, Qu Junong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-01
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 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 was 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, advocates the inviolability of private property, argues that the state is based on a contract, holds that legislative power is the supreme authority, promotes the separation of state powers, and maintains that people have the right to resist tyranny. Locke's work had a significant impact on bourgeois political thought.