Seventeenth Century English Political Thought

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Seventeenth Century English Political Thought

• An examination of the major English thinkers from
  James I to John Locke
• A century of remarkable progress in political
  thought

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Introduction

• England resisted the 17th century trend toward
  Absolutism monarchy freed from all restraints.
• England reversed the course of the Continent.
• The People, not the King, held ultimate authority
  in England.
• Progress resulted from a complex interplay of
  events ideas.
• A century of turmoil produced a stable
  adaptable government.

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James I - Absolutism Divine Right Monarchy

• Ruled England 1603-1625
• Trew Law of Free Monarchy
• The King answers only to God.
• Foundations
• King as a god to his subjects
• King as a father to his family
• King as a head to a natural body
• Principles of hierarchy unity inherent in Great
  Chain of Being

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James I - Nationalization Modernization

• James asserted direct link to God
• No intervention by the Church
• Argument was in tune with European monarchs
• Nationalization - authority moved to the center
• Modernization - Kings were the focus
• Louis XIV would embody this ideal in France
• His success was unparalleled

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Charles I Failure of Absolutism

• The Divine Right argument did not succeed in
  England.
• James did not establish his leadership in England
  as he had in Scotland.
• Parliament maintained its traditional strength.
• Charles I (1625-1649) asserted bolder claims of
  divine right,
• but he ruled incompetently
• and clashed with Parliament.

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Parliament - Rights of Representative Assemblies

• Parliament asserted its rights under the Ancient
  Constitution of medieval times.
• This assertion relied on precedents, not pure
  theory
• Norman Conquest - 1066
• Magna Carta - 1215
• Political Goal retain powers to tax legislate
• James Charles sought central power in effort to
  modernize.
• Parliament was thus reactionary in its
  aspirations.

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Parliament - Sovereignty of the
People

• Parliament achieved a breakthrough with new
  terminology
• Sovereignty the control of security and taxes
  within borders.
• Parliament claimed to possess the power of the
  people.
• Parliament moved ever closer to showdown with the
  king,
• but gained strength from new arguments

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Crisis of the Civil War - 1642-49

• Civil War broke out after Ship Money
  controversy.
• Issues of taxation legislation
• Civil War culminated in the trial and execution
  of Charles I in 1649.
• Religion became a major issue
• Anglicans vs. Puritans
• Yet the War sparked developments in thought

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Levellers - Democratic Politics

• The debate escalated beyond the King
  Parliament.
• The People wanted broader representation
• Putney Debates pamphlets
• An assembly of soldiers and officers considered
  government without a monarch.

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Levellers - Popular Sovereignty

• Popular Sovereignty was reinforced expanded
• All male citizens should have the right to vote.
• Government officials should be responsible to
  the people.
• James Ireton John Lilburne were democratic
  leaders in the Puritan army.

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Diggers - Democratic Economics

• Radicals who denied property rights.
• Men should share equal political rights and
  equal property
• Gerard Winstanley established a commune on public
  land.
• All worked governed together.
• Diggers presented greatest challenge to
  political social beliefs of era.
• Yet their experiment failed
• Local landholders forced out the squatter
  settlement.

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Suppression of Radicalism

• Oliver Cromwell Parliamentary Oligarchy -
  1649-1660
• Suppressed both the Leveller and Digger movements
• Threw leaders into jail
• Took power for himself.

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Cromwell - Autocracy

• Oliver Cromwell ruled as religious autocrat
• Republic
• The Commonwealth,
• 1649-1653
• Autocracy
• The Protectorate,
• 1653-1660
• Puritanism reigned in both periods.

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Reactionary Politics

• Parliaments trial execution of Charles in
  1649 shocked most Englishmen
• Respect for authority was still strong
• Many turned back to monarchy after loss of king

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Robert Filmer - Patriarcha

• Attempt to rally royal forces - 1650s
• All authority descends from Adam
• Fathers have sway over sons
• Kings have sway over subjects
• Pseudo-religious argument followed
  social patterns
• But lacked rigorous reasoning - unpersuasive

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Thomas Hobbes - Leviathan

• A scientific argument for the Sovereignty of
  Kings published in 1651
• Rational-scientific method
• Rejected religious and classical arguments
• Emphasized individualism
• Like Machiavelli, Hobbes did not rely on God in
  his analysis.

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Hobbes - State of Nature

• Hobbes held a pessimistic view of human nature
• Man is naturally acquisitive aggressive.
• Developed concept of State of Nature
• Man competes with man in a war of all against
  all.
• In absence of government, existence is solitary,
  poor, nasty, brutish, short.

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Hobbes - Social Contract

• Hobbes developed the concept of the Social
  Contract
• The Social Contract ends the chaos of constant
  civil war
• Each man yields freedom to an absolute governing
  force.
• Despite being motivated by passions Fear,
  Desire, Hope, Man makes the rational choice
• An absolute governing force guarantees security.

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Hobbes - Absolute Sovereignty

• Sovereignty for Rulers
• Governing force must have total control the
  only source of security
• A King is the best of all sovereigns he can best
  restrain the passions of men
• Groundbreaking argument for Restoration

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Republican Alternatives

• James Harrington published Oceana in 1656
• Argument for Republican government before
  Restoration
• Followed Republican tradition of Machiavellis
  Discourses

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Harrington Republicanism

• Vote for all male citizens over the age of 30
• Bi-cameral Legislature
• But no monarch
• And only wealthy senators could propose laws
• Strict property requirements in upper house

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Harrington - Republican Mechanisms

• Rotation of Offices Secret Ballots
• Goal Harmonize public private interests
• Division of cake You cut and I will choose
• Equal distribution results from pursuit of
  self-interest

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Harrington - Significance

• Politics follow social structure
• Political power rooted in control of land
  resources
• Those who own the country ought to govern it
• Different landholding leads to different
  government
• England experienced economic change with broader
  distribution of wealth landownership
• Government reflected changes

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Restoration of Stuart Dynasty - 1660

• Cromwell died in 1659
• Parliament agreed to restore monarchy
• Chaos of Civil War too much for Englishmen
• Sense of tradition led to coronation of Charles
  II in 1660

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Restoration of the Stuart Dynasty

• Arguments for Royal Power win for now
• Filmer Hobbes, not Harrington
• Charles II ruled from 1660-1685
• But the problem of succession remained
• The dynasty was insecure

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Glorious Revolution - 1688

• Fear that James II (1685-1688) would return
  England to Catholicism
• Parliament again forced a Stuart from throne

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Glorious Revolution - 1688

• Complex maneuvers brought William of Orange to
  throne
• Glorious Revolution was bloodless but decisive
• Victory for Parliament

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John Locke - Second Treatise of Government

• Political theory kept pace with developments
• Ideas followed actions
• John Locke in 1690 provided theoretical
  justification for Parliaments action

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Locke - State of Nature

• Adopted Hobbes conception of State of Nature
• Less pessimistic about human nature
• But the State of Nature could still degenerate
  into a State of War

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Locke - Social Contract

• Adopted Hobbes idea of a Social Contract
• Self-interest leads individuals to form a civil
  society with a government.
• Individuals make the rational choice to protect
  themselves.
• But Lockes Social Contract not only provides
  security.
• It also preserves natural rights life, liberty,
  and property

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Locke - Popular Sovereignty

• People form government, but they do not yield all
  authority
• People reserve the right to judge their
  government.
• Government must rest on consent of governed.
• The People hold the ultimate authority.
• Locke thus gave new life to an old idea from
  Parliaments earlier clash with the king.

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Locke - Right of Rebellion

• This important doctrine was an outgrowth of
  Popular Sovereignty
• The Sovereign People may judge their government
• And may overthrow it if it no longer serves its
  purpose
• The protection of life, liberty, and property

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Locke - Right of Rebellion

• People may withdraw approval and install a new
  government.
• Any act of rebellion was illegal in the eyes of
  the existing government.
• But rebellion was justified because People
  represent a higher law - New ground.

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Locke - Accepted Basis of English Government

• People express their wishes through election of
  Parliament.
• Monarch remained only in severely limited role.
• Century of debate ended serious assertions of
  Absolutism
• England has been distinct yet stable.

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Conclusion English Thought in America

• Americans accept some democratic ideas of the
  Levellers
• Universal suffrage
• Americans have adopted some republican ideas of
  Harrington
• Constitutional system of checks and balances

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English Thought in America

• Yet Americans base their very existence on
  Lockes concepts of Popular Sovereignty and Right
  of Rebellion
• Jeffersons Declaration asserts rights of life,
  liberty, and pursuit of happiness
• Our government rests on the consent of the
  governed.

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The End

• Yes, this will be on the exam