Locke’s Second Treatise

1. Locke’s Second Treatise I. Liberalism II. Nationalism III. Socialism/Marxism

2. II. Liberalism • Ascendance of liberalism around the world today • That is, globally we’ve seen an upsurge in political movements committed to the ideals of liberalism

3. II. Liberalism • Definition • In United States, liberalism means: • Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Ted Kennedy

4. II. Liberalism • Historically, liberalism is built on 2 key ideas: • Limited Government • It was the political solution to the struggle for religious toleration • Attempt to keep politics out of religion. The government should not worry about the state of men’s souls • Give freedom of religion to the people • Why is this a good idea?

5. II. Liberalism • A key component of limited government is: • Rights • Theoretical underpinning to the notion of religious toleration is that individuals have rights against the state • We each have a right not to be interfered with by the government or by other people • These rights are natural – they accrue to us simply by the fact that we are human beings

6. Suppose you are a District Attorney in a community that is composed of easily recognizable majority/minority communities. A member of the majority community has been killed and witnesses have reliably identified a member of the minority community as the perpetrator, but the police have been unable to find the exact person The majority community is screaming for vengeance and on the verge of rioting. We know that in the course of the riot, at least 10 people from the minority population will be killed in mob violence. As the DA you suggest the following course of action to the mayor:

7. In order to avert the riot and save lives, you take a member of the minority community at random, accuse that person of the crime, and stage a very public arrest/execution • As the mayor, what do you do?

8. II. Liberalism • Rights mean that no matter how good the consequences of a particular action may be, these consequences cannot override individual rights • Why rights? • Each individual possesses dignity • Each of us is priceless • Roots are in the rise of Christianity • Secularized form – in lieu of soul premise – treat people as ends, not as means to an end • Every human being has infinite weight, so can’t use any calculation to justify hurting some for the greater good

9. II. Liberalism • So one component of liberalism is limited government • The second component is capitalism • By capitalism, we mean the idea that as long as a transaction has no negative diseconomies and is mutually advantageous, the transaction is permissible • A deal made between two consenting parties and no one is getting hurt, the state should not get involved in the transaction

10. II. Liberalism • The market is a private place where people voluntarily dispose of their own property • Locke will present two arguments – one secular, one religious – to show where this right comes from • The overall idea justifying these economic rights is roughly parallel to our political rights in that the state should not interfere with people doing what they want to do with their property

11. II. Liberalism • Note, the argument itself need not be limited exclusively to property and thus exclusively the purview of the (political) right wing • E.g., sexual freedom, drug freedom arguments could work equally well • Since the world is embracing variants of this view today, an examination of its historical evolution and philosophical premises is both warranted and educational

12. II. Liberalism • The key idea linking to the two strains is the primacy of the individual • That is, the individual is the basis of power – political, economic, social. • Political power does not come from divine right or the rule of the stronger, but the will of the people

13. II. Nationalism • The French Revolution, and to a lesser extent, the American Revolution destroyed the ideas underlining feudal political arrangments, most particularly the idea of the divine right of kings and aristocracy • In positing that power comes from below, from the people, these revolutions helped forge the idea that these disparate individuals have broader social connections with each other

14. II. Nationalism • The French Revolution brought to the fore the idea of a French people united in a French nation • Initially, Napoleon could frame his moves across Europe as liberalizing, that is, as attempts to rid peoples of illegitimate monarchies • One unintended consequence of this, of course, is that French domination then helped forge national unities among the conequered peoples (as we saw in the case of Spain last week).

15. Revolutions of 1830 • After Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo, his abdication, the Bourbon line was restored as rulers of France -- Louis XVI’s brother was installed and he ruled as Louis XVIII until 1820 • In 1820, another brother was installed as Charles X

16. Revolutions of 1830 • Charles X attempted to rewind the clock and act as previous kings had ruled (ie., on the basis of divine right rather than as a constitutional monarchy constrained by the will of the people. • By 1830, another period of severe economic distress (high food prices, unemployment, and deteriorated living conditions). • Strained relations between the Chamber of Deputies (akin to a parliament) and Charles led to Charles dissolving the Chamber, clamping down on press freedom, and call for new elections under new rules favoring the crown

17. Revolutions of 1830 • These moves in turn sparked widespread revolt in Paris. • The Chamber refused to acknowledge the king’s decree • Charles calls in the military to put down the uprising and the military instead withdraws from Paris • On 29 May, the revolutionaries had control of Paris

18. Revolutions of 1830 • New decree from the Chamber of Deputies: “France is free. Absolutism has raised its flag and the heroic population of Paris put it down. Paris, when attacked, has by arms caused the triump of the sacred cause...”

19. Revolutions of 1830 • Charles initially tried to regain control of Paris by appointing the duc of Orleans as Lieutenant General of Paris • He attempts to have his grandson recognized as King and then abdicates the throne • On 7 August the throne was declared vacant by the Chambe of Deputies and they offered the crown to the duc of Orleans, who took the crown and ruled as Louis Phillippe under a constitutional monarchy • End of Bourbon rule in France