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The Republic by Jean Bodin (1576)
He was a high-ranking French governmental official in the late 1500s. He was devastated by the horrors and destruction of the French Wars of Religion. In this political work, he argued in favor of an absolute monarchy as the best protection against chaos.
The True Law of Free Monarchs by King James I (1598)
He was the king of both England and Scotland and the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. He came to the English throne at the same time that absolute monarchy was being created in France. He argued that God chooses kings to rule over nations. He used biblical examples to support absolute monarchy.
The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes (1651)
He was an English political philosopher. He was hurt by the devastation of the English Civil War and believed that a strong, all-powerful monarch was the best protection against chaos. But, his most important contribution to political thought is his belief in the “social contract,” an unwritten agreement between the people and the government.
Of Civil Government by John Locke (1689)
He agreed with Hobbes about the social contract theory, but he believed the people have the right to break the contract if they are unhappy with the king. Locke argued that people possess “natural rights; including “life, liberty, and property.” He also believed that people have a “right to revolt.” His writing/.s were inspired by the Glorious Revolution (1688) and influenced the founding fathers of the United States.
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