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The political theories of Thomas Hobbes also had an impact on the French Revolution. Unlike John Locke‘s, who seemed to open the door for revolution and based on the will of the majority, Hobbes contends the commonwealth is essential to maintaining peace in a country. In Hobbes’ Leviathan, he discusses human nature and its relation to the commonwealth and argues “that every man, ought to endeavor peace, as far as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he cannot obtain it, that he may seek, and use, all helps, and advantages of war”. In a sense, this concept of war for the sake of peace could be used as a defense of the Revolution. That is, because the peasants and others could not find peace as long as the monarchy continued to treat them unfairly, they had no recourse except revolution.
However, Hobbes also believed that peace required sufficient restrictions, and such restrictions can only exist if imposed by a political authority, such as a commonwealth. A commonwealth is instituted, according to Hobbes, when a group of men choose to give up their rights to govern themselves to some other person who governs them. In this way, many people may represented by one person, although Hobbes states that this could include a number of men, as long as majority decisions are accepted by everyone in this governing body.
Hobbes contended that men would naturally seek a state of conflict, if not restrained by laws that could be enforced. Furthermore, Hobbes did not seem to think that the particular form of the state had much impact on an individual’s freedom. He contends, “Whether a commonwealth be monarchial, or popular, the freedom is still the same”. In either case, Hobbes believes that we surrender certain rights and some freedom when we create a commonwealth. Despite Hobbes’ belief that men must sacrifice rights for the benefit of the state, he is clear that if the state asks a man to commit an act against himself, a man has the right to refuse. One could argue that that the monarchy’s over-taxation of the peasantry amounted to asking the peasantry to harm itself.
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