John Locke's Second Treatise Of Government

Locke presents several key ideas in his Treatise; his notions on the origins of property, usurpations, tyranny, and the dissolution of government provide the key arguments for this work. The chronologically first, Of Property, discusses Locke’s theories on the origins of property. He claims that in nature, what makes something the property of one man as opposed to all mankind is the labor he puts into it. He has right to all he can use without letting withered, and should he chose; he may barter what is left for something that will not perish. Locke believes this to be the origin of money. Once money was introduced, society became necessary for people in order to give their money use. Mankind consented to the use of money, and this gave rise
to the need for government. As presented in Chapter III, men enter into a state of war with one another when they come into conflict with one another. Governments then come into play as a neutral deciding body to decide the aggressor and innocent men. In this section, Locke illustrates that private property gave rise to governments, as people needed a neutral party to prevent a constant state of war. In his brief section, Of Usurpations, Locke explains what makes a usurper differ from a tyrant. According to Locke, the usurper is a domestic conqueror; they take over following the end of the previous regime, and change nothing of the governing laws and bodies, but simply change out the people in those positions. He explains that the usurper can only rule if they are approved by the commonwealth; he also states that it is part of any form of government should be a set of guiding rules for how the usurper is decided upon. Historically, there are many accounts of rocky transitions of power following the death of the conqueror or ruler. By establishing that all governments must naturally have a guiding rule for succession, Locke has noted from ancient failings, from the end of Alexander the Great’s reign to the fall of the Huns, what must be done to preserve a governing body. If no one can rightfully succeed the ruler, the governing society will surely fall. However, Locke says that should the usurper “extend his power beyond what of right belonged to the lawful princes, or governors of the commonwealth”, he also becomes a tyrant [61]. Locke explains that a tyrannical government is one that no longer serves the wishes of the body it represents, and he also notes that under a tyrant’s rule, the people feel they will never be able to overthrow the larger governing body. The importance of this section, Of Tyranny, is that it is a definition for what makes a government no longer useful. When a government no longer serves the commonwealth, it is tyrannical and has no proper use left and should be dissolved. This relates back to his contemporary reason for writing the Second Treatise, which was to prove that the English under the rule of King James II were under a tyrannical government and as such King William III was within his rights to overthrow the prior monarchy. This brings us to Locke’s final chapter, and summation of the Second Treatise, Of the Dissolution of Governments. Locke started from the very basis of man that is the state of nature, and followed the logical progressions of government through up until the government becomes tyrannical. His entire essay has led up to this chapter, and he sums up his argument by listing all the factors that authorize a government to be dissolved. The importance of this chapter is, as with Of Tyranny, the historical context of the Glorious Revolution. By framing his argument thusly, Locke leaves no doubt in the mind of the reader that if the government fails the commonwealth, it is to be dissolved. In the eyes of the people of England, King James II failed to allow the free practice of Protestantism in the country, and by doing so he was going against the will of his people. Since the government no longer worked, it should be clear to everyone that King William III was a just conqueror, and should rightfully sit on the throne.

In the version I utilized for this review, Project Gutenburg’s Second Treatise of Government, contained the Preface that was printed by Locke when the First and Second Treatise were first published. Within the preface, Locke openly explains his thesis, as well as gives the reader notes about how his internal citations work. He writes that this work is to justify the ascension of King William III to the throne of England. I found this preface to be very useful, as it gives the reader a framework for Locke’s arguments.

I would indeed recommend this book to others. This work has framed the establishment of the American government, as well as presented a logical explanation for what the limits and responsibilities of a government should be. Second Treatise frames what Locke considers to be a perfect government, one that serves the people rather than the people serving it.
Locke presents his ideas in a rational manner and puts not one system of government at fault. He does not simply write off monarchy, democracy, or any form over government, except for tyranny, but rather Locke puts the errors of mankind at fault for the downfall of a governing body. He presents in his concluding chapters an ideal which I’ve always enjoyed: people should not fear their government; rather governments should fear their people. Governments have risen and fallen throughout the course of history; we learn from past mistakes and try to move on taking what worked and leaving what did not. Locke outlines in his work what gives rise to governments, and what should cause them to fall. I consider this work to be excellently written and it proves his points without too much ambiguous writing. Locke proves to be direct throughout his work and all of his chapters flow into the next idea that culminate in an excellent argument that the people did have every right to take part in the Glorious Revolution.
Locke’s Second Treatise of Government works backwards through human history to explain why the Glorious Revolution was just and fair.
He utilizes examples from the Assyrian empire and explains what makes a government fair and just. Historically, the Glorious Revolution has routes stemming from the Reformation of the Catholic Church. Following Henry VIII, England was primarily a protestant nation, as Henry VIII had an inclination to pick a new wife due to his lack of ability to make a successor. The Catholic Church wouldn’t allow for a divorce. So, Henry VIII and England left the Catholic religion to start their own. English nobles had a fear that Catholics wished to make the state once again controlled by a Catholic King. Several monarchs passed with relative ease, until King Charles I ascended to the throne, and civil war erupted and the monarchy was disbanded instead for the rule of the Commonwealth under Cromwell. Eleven years later, King Charles II returned to the throne and declared himself a Catholic who would restore England to a Catholic country. The Glorious Revolution came about as the Catholic King James II, brother of Charles II ascended to the throne. The Protestants in the nation decided to no longer allow for this and thus the Glorious Revolution came to fruition. Thus, the context for this work stems from a conflict based around England’s history following the reformation of the Catholic
Church.