The source exhumes views that would be associated with Thomas Hobbes. Believing that the uneducated masses should be ruled by an elite few.This is because Hobbes believed that the uneducated decision made by the people would be geared towards self gain and be detrimental to the country or monarchy.The elites would be there to ensure no self-centered and short sighted decisions would be made by limiting people's freedom to influence critical decisions leading to a stable and efficient country.These beliefs are shared by fascist who believe in inequality amongst the people and advocate anti-liberal ideas.Fascist like Adolf Hitler believe people can never be equal,and used this idea to take away others right and freedoms in his pursuit to create …show more content…
This allowed the german government to restrict its own people's civil liberties while directing anger away from themselves. Hitler used the removal of free press and manipulation to limit the people's knowledge of the holocaust, furthermore he used concerns like the war to divert attention away from the holocaust. Hitler removed the people's ability to express their opinions and their ability to influence government.This total control allowed Hitler and his advisors to change germany, there new policies may have had the potential to fix the various …show more content…
To enforce political equality collective farming was implemented to stop the Kulags from abusing the system through privatized business and people were forced into the system through intimidation or threat of suffering the same fate as the Kulaks, mass murder.The loss of private land slowed production of food and was followed by a famine, leading to many people starving.Along with starving the people who opposed the government or had different views would be executed without trial in militaristic operations called purges.Stalin even had ethnic cleansing in which Poles, Germans, Latvians, Finns, Greeks, Koreans, and Chinese would be deported or killed.Similar to nazi germany the dictatorial system caused major political inequalities and fails bring the country greatness like the author of the source believed.Stalin ruled the people with an iron fist and removed many rights that are major components of liberalism such as right to a fair trial,freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of association along with many other right whether they are political or
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke have authored two works that have had a significant impact on political philosophy. In the “Leviathan” by Hobbes and “Two Treatises of Government” by Locke, the primary focus was to analyze human nature to determine the most suitable type of government for humankind. They will have confounding results. Hobbes concluded that an unlimited sovereign is the only option, and would offer the most for the people, while for Locke such an idea was without merit. He believed that the government should be limited, ruling under the law, with divided powers, and with continued support from its citizens. With this paper I will argue that Locke had a more realistic approach to identifying the human characteristics that organize people into societies, and is effective in persuading us that a limited government is the best government.
He used the Jewish people as a scapegoat for the rest of Germany. He convinced the people of Germany that the Jews were a scourge and had to be destroyed. Slowly, Germany began putting more and more restrictions on Jews' civil liberties.
Originally platformed by Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin took control of the communist party in 1924 when Lenin died of a stroke. Communist ideals were heavily in opposition to classical liberal values; Whereas Liberalism stressed the importance of the individual, Communism sought to better the greater good of society by stripping many of the individual rights and freedoms of citizens. Communism revoked the class structure of society and created a universal equality for all. This equality came with a price however. Any who opposed the communist rule were assassinated in order to keep order within society. Joseph Stalin took this matter to the extreme during an event known as the Great Purge. The Great Purge, also known as The Great Terror, began in 1936 and concluded in 1938. During these two years, millions of people were murdered and sent to labour camps in Siberia for opposing the Communist party and the ultimate dictator, Stalin himself. In some cases, even those who did not oppose the regime were killed. Sergey Kirov was a very popular member of the communist party and Stalin saw this as a possible threat to his ultimate power. As a result, Stalin order Kirov to be executed. Stalin furthered his violation of individual rights by introducing the NKVD who worked closely with the russian secret police force. One of the primary goals of the secret police was to search out dissidents who were not entirely faithful to the communist regime. This violation of privacy caused histeria en mass in the Soviet Union and millions were killed as a result. The Soviet union resisted liberalism to such an extreme that it resulted in the deaths of millions of people, leading to some of the darkest days in russian
In sophisticated prose, Hobbes manages to conclude that human beings are all equal in their ability to harm each other, and furthermore that they are all capable of rendering void at will the covenants they had previously made with other human beings. An absolutist government, according to Hobbes, would result in a in a society that is not entirely focused on self-preservation, but rather a society that flourishes under the auspices of peace, unity, and security. Of all the arguably great philosophical discourses, Hobbes in particular provides one of the surest and most secure ways to live under a sovereign that protects the natural liberties of man. The sovereign government is built upon the idea of stability and security, which makes it a very intriguing and unique government indeed. The aforementioned laudation of Hobbes and his assertions only helps to cement his political theories at the forefront of the modern
As a dictator Stalin was very strict about his policies, especially working. For instance. Stalin had set quotas very high , as they were very unrealistic. The workers had very long days, and under the rule of Stalin most people worked many hours in overtime, and resulting in no pay. Stalin treated workers very, very harshly. Those who did not work were exiled to Siberia or killed. Some may say you got what you deserved in Stalin’s time. Those who worked very hard for Stalin sometimes got bonuses such as trips, or goods likes televisions and refrigerators. The workers had to conform to Stalin’s policies . Stalin’s harsh treatment of workers received a very unwelcoming response, but in fact the liberal amount of goods that the workers had made, had in fact
He started out on with philosophy of political science while on his trips and visits to other countries outside of England to listen to other scientists and learn different forms of government. While studying, Thomas Hobbes wondered about why people were allowing themselves to be ruled and what would a great form of government for England. He reasoned that people were naturally wicked and shouldn’t be trusted to govern themselves because they were selfish creatures and would do anything to better their position and social status. These people, when left alone will go back to their evil impulses to get a better advantage over others. So Thomas Hobbes concluded that the best form of government would an absolute monarchy, which is a government
����������� Thomas Hobbes is an important political and social philosopher. He shares his political philosophy in his work Leviathan. Hobbes begins by describing the state of nature, which is how humans coped with one another prior to the existence of government. He explains that without government, �the weakest has the strength to kill the strongest� (Hobbes 507). People will do whatever it takes to further their own interests and protect their selves; thus, creating a constant war of �every man against every man� (Hobbes 508). His three reasons for people fighting amongst each other prior to government include �competition,� �diffidence,� and �glory� (Hobbes 508). He explains how men fight to take power over other people�s property, to protect them selves, and to achieve fame. He describes life in the state of nature as being �solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short� (Hobbes 508). Hobbes goes on to say that if men can go on to do as they please, there will always be war. To get out of this state of nature, individuals created contracts with each other and began to form a government.
During the 17th century, Europe went through political conversation regarding government structure. English philosopher Thomas Hobbes published his document Leviathan during the War of Religion. The War of Religion was a time period in which Europe was trying to establish its religion between Catholic and French Protestants and this process resulted in uproar throughout Europe. Hobbes was exposed to the conflicts of the War in England, which drastically changed his view of government and influenced him to relocate in France. Hobbes’s opinions about politics and government were far different from fellow English philosopher John Locke’s in his document Second Treatise of Government. Locke existed during a much later period in Europe, when the Wars of Religion were over and England had established the Glorious Revolution, a passive agreement between Dutch nobility, William and Mary, and Parliament. The different time periods which Hobbes and Locke lived and what they experienced had major effects on their thoughts about government. Hobbes’ Leviathan and Locke’s Second Treatise of Government had different opinions regarding a man’s state of nature and social contract.
Thomas Hobbes was a proponent of the monarchal system and in this paper I will prove that Hobbes was right in supporting the monarchal system of government, I will also show the opposing school of thought, and finally, I will give you my opinion on the monarchal system. Thomas Hobbes lived from 1588-1679 and throughout most of his life there was violence going on all around him. The biggest case was the English Civil War. This war lasted about seven years and it overthrew the monarchy, which England had established many years before. After this revolution, shaky governments ruled the land for several years. But then, the English went back to the monarchal system. These times shaped Hobbes’ views and his way of thought. Hobbes became a backer of the monarchal system and expressed his thoughts through his book, Leviathan. He had several reasons that supported his zeal for monarchy. The first of which is the monarch that would be in place would look out for his people and not only for himself. Hobbes starts out by saying that if there is a thoughtful and giving monarch, he would try to encourage his people to work as hard as they possibly could. For example, if the people had to pay taxes of 10% of their total income, then the king would also get 10% of that. If the king were intelligent, he would encourage the people to work harder. This would not only increase their own personal wealth, but also that of the king’s. This may seem a bit conniving because the king is coming out of it with more money because 10% of a larger amount of total income will mean more money for the king, but the monarch is, in actuality, making lives better for the people. “Now in monarchy the private interest is th...
Consequently, Stalin decided to collectivize the farms. Collectivization was essentially not prevalent in the peasant class. Kulaks, strongly protested towards the whole notion because they were doing fine by themselves. The communists used violence against the Kulaks, even tur...
Even though he made moral and political works, he is be known for his political ideas. Hobbes believed that in a state/country a “sovereign authority” must be appointed and have total control over its people. This was due to Hobbes’ philosophy, that in “state of nature”, a civilisation without government/authority, one would be blind and lost in the world, and would always try to compete over leadership. He believed that this would lead to “bellum omnium contra omnes”, war against all. Ultimately, the “Sovereign Authority” should rule by fear, for in a country/state where one is afraid of death, then and only then, can there be true peace. Hobbes believes that there are two ways to achieve this, “Sovereignty by institution” and “Sovereignty by acquisition”. In “Sovereignty by institution”, people are ruled by a “common authority” that the people have either decided on or have already had power over the state for long period of time. While in “Sovereignty by acquisition”, however, the “Sovereign authority” is usually a conqueror that promises “ protection for obedience”. This idea was based on a “Social Contract”, which confirms trust and obedience to a “Soverign Authority”. Hobbes also believed, that it did not matter how a “Sovereign Authority” came to power, but obedience and legitimacy of the authority’s power comes to
Upon exposure under a modern viewpoint, with the benefit of hindsight to assist, the philosophies of Plato and Thomas Hobbes fall under an unequivocal category of judgment on how governments must run - specifically, that of complete authoritarianism. Throughout their lives, they pandered to delusions of assurance and refuge in absolute totalitarianism, with an insufficient amount of compelling evidence to bolster their assertions. Ordinarily, the enlightenment of enfranchisement in major countries like the United States should have abolished and denounced the ideologies indefinitely. Nevertheless, the philosophers and the administrative conceptions they supported receive unparalleled acclaim across the globe. Moreover, the doctrines still
Hobbes was a strong believer in the thought that human nature was evil. He believed that “only the unlimited power of a sovereign could contain human passions that disrupt the social order and threatened civilized life.” Hobbes believed that human nature was a force that would lead to a constant state of war if it was not controlled. In his work the Leviathan, he laid out a secular political statement in which he stated the significance of absolutism.
Thomas Hobbes? idea of a perfect government was one of small proportions. All of the citizens of a country had a ?covenant?, or promise with the ruler. This covenant with the ruler stated that the citizen would give up the right to govern his or herself, and give that right to the ruler. Hobbes? idea of society arises from an innate competition between every man. Everyone seeks their advantage, and is always at war with everyone else for that advantage. These factions negotiate, according to Hobbes, complying with whatever principles will ensure survival for its members. So according to Hobbes, war is the natural state of man. Peace is only had by our natural tendencies to compromise, and survive.
Hobbes view of human nature lead him to develop his vision of an ideal government. He believed that a common power was required to keep men united. This power would work to maintain the artificial harmony among the people as well as protect them from foreign enemies.