4. Hobbes and Locke - the end of divine right monarchy and confessional state Flashcards
(5 cards)
Who was Thomas Hobbes?
Born in 1588, Thomas Hobbes had been closely associated with Francis Bacon and had met the astonomer Galileo while travelling. Hobbes wrote about maths and science but is best known for his philosophical works. He left England in 1640 and lived in Paris until 1652.
What did Hobbes’ work do?
In 1651, he published his best known work Leviathan. His work questioned the divine right of kings by arguing that the right to rule was not granted by God but through a social contract, written or unwritten. He said power was granted by the people and Monarchs could be removed if they broke this contract. The final section of Leviathan was a justification of submission to England’s new republican regime. Hobbes argued that Charles I could not protect the people and so they were compelled to obey the new state as it had as much authority as a monarchy. Hobbes had a pessimistic view of human nature. He believed that if humans were left in the state of nature (without structures and institutions of society), they would be violent towards one another and not respect private property. Without law and order, there would be “a war of all against all”.
What impact did the Restoration and the Glorious revolution have on the divine monarchy and religion?
The Restoration saw the reimposition of the monarchy and the idea of divine right monarchy and confessional state. During the European Reformation and Catholic Counter- Reformation, many countries had become confessional states, adopting either religion as a state religion. The 1688 Glorious Revolution finally undermined the idea of a divine right monarchy and confessional state as William and Mary agreed to rule in accordance with the rules of parliament. The Toleration Act of 1689 exempted dissenters from the penal laws if they took an oath of allegiance. Catholicism remained outlawed, with England a formally Protestant country.
Who was John Locke?
John Locke spent much of the 1670s and 80s on the Continent, returning to England after the Glorious Revolution. This was when he anonymously published his most famous work - Two Treatises of Government.
What did Lockes’ work do?
Locke’s Two Treatises of Government was anti-absolutist, and focused on the contractual theory of government - in which a contract was placed between the Monarch and the people to prevent absolutism. It also focused on the equality of man, popular sovereignty (power is held by the people), right of resistance and the law of nature (certain rights were set in nature and the monarch cannot be absolutist). His work became more popular in the 18th Century, with his theories acquiring new significance as a result of America’s struggle for independence in 1770.
