Compare And Contrast John Locke And Classical Liberalism

John Locke contributed to the foundation of classical liberalism with his philosophical views of a restricted government and independence for every individual. He presented his political ideas in his work Two Treatises of Government (1690). In the second treatise, Of Civil Government, Locke wrote on the reinstatement of the throne, and the recovery of the country through the people’s determination to conserve their natural rights. In the second treatise, Of Civil Government, Locke discusses a move in society from a state of nature to one of civil government. State of nature is defined as a condition where freedom is absolute, and reason rules. Civil government is comprised of a legislative and executive power. The people in a

In the state of nature, a man is the rightful owner of his own self, thus the labor he puts into land is then directly associated to him, becoming his property. The cultivated land will then produce a harvest, thus generating a growth in people. This growth in population requires an establishment of a monetary system, and inevitably a government to regulate property. When the people agree to form a civil government, it is done without an alliance to any authority. Rights are given up to achieve freedom, to judge and punish, as a result a legislative and executive power is adopted. The commonwealth has the power to punish any member who commits a crime, as well as punish an injury inflicted to another

If the majority were not set as the official measure for governing, forming a government would be counterproductive, since there would be divided opinion and dissipate. The state of nature lacks an organized law, a fair judge, and firm executive power. For these reason a man chooses to give up his single power, to join a safeguarded society, which protects, govern, legislates, and executes for the protection of its people. Society’s restrictions on the commonwealth are to rule by the written law, these same laws need to be tailored for the good of the people. The commonwealth cannot increase taxes on property without consent, and legislative cannot relocate power to anybody else. A lawful official is bound to the laws of the legislative, but a tyrant acts to his own benefit. Locke states tyranny is “the exercise of power beyond right ...[thus] wherever law ends tyranny begins.” (78,79) Any executive body that forsakes their loyalty to the people is a