Karl Marx And Thomas Hobbes

Many Political Philosophies were presented in many different aspects through philosophers and social thinkers. Three philosophers in which had very strong influences on countries throughout the world were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Karl Marx. These three people all had strong opinions in the concept of government rule and the effects towards the people. Thomas Hobbes had very strong beliefs in how monarchy was the best form of government. He talks about how this is the only way peace can be sustained, and how everything within a country would stay organized. John Locke on the other hand, had views of an equal government, ruled by man as a whole and natural rights playing a big part in society. He had strong feelings about how the government
is there to be ruled by the people, for they are together as one. Karl Marx’s ideas and beliefs had to do with the structure of classes and the belief of a communist society. He believed that everything shared as a whole and people being paid equally is how countries and government would survive. All three philosophers had different ideas of what a surviving government would be, but all three were looking and striving for betterment of humans and society. In Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, he speaks on many different aspects of human society, and how it should go about being run.
Hobbes’s believes that the commonwealth should be ruled by a sovereign power in order to keep straight lines and to provide security towards the people. He states total authority provides for the best rule to ensure no revolts, as well as no foreign powers attempting to overrule. His view from a materialistic perspective gives the people an idea how he sees the government should interact with its people. He talks about the constant battle than man has against himself and how horrible this problem is, then states that it is a necessity to build the Leviathan ideas through social contract. Hobbes’s ideas influenced governments world-wide and is now used as a blueprint towards modern
constitutions. John Locke had ideas towards the rule of people and the way governments rule were from a very moral and community driven place. His belief towards government rule was that the people of the country had control and the government was only there to oblige by the people’s needs. He felt the government was only there to protect the nature of the community and that if any government did not follow this would get replaced. Locke talked about how if the government had the proper role, it would allow the people succeed and thrive as individuals as well as together as a society. This type of government allows human to flourish and pursue the life they choose to allowing not only themselves, but everyone else around them grow. Morally, Locke felt natural law was permanent and the government is only a small piece contributing to the moral order. Karl Marx sparked and founded the idea of communism which is the idea of all property being shared by all people, pay is handled according to one’s ability as well as needs, and the structure of social classes is nonexistent.
Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848 where he first introduced the idea of communism and the reasoning behind it. Marx explains the issue of social classes and the gap between them. The gap between the classes will eventually lead to them not being able to retain coexisting relationships due to production rate and quantity. Marx says the effect of this will lead to a revolution, in which the outcome will be the end of class structure itself and there will be no more private property making all land being shared throughout. In the manifesto Marx says that this development is unavoidable, and that the rule of capitalism is unbalanced and not
trustworthy. Adam Smith’s ideas derived from The Wealth of Nations written in 1776 would best fit with John Locke’s teachings and his ideas of Civil Government. Smith’s ideas dealt with the economy and the best way to control the economy. He talked about how the best economy is the free-market economy with no government interruption. Britain then began to practice Smith’s teaching and the outcome was an expanding economy and rapid advancement in wealth. Smith’s teachings and ideas best relate to Locke and his idea of Civil Government in the sense of no government intervention and a free-market mindset. Smith has a reoccurring theme that continues throughout his work which that his system of economics is automatic, and is able to carry its own weight. I believe that the quote of John Locke and the natural liberty of man idea is still represented in America today. The quote saying, “The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but to have only the law of nature for his rule” Is stating the freedom and liberty within a country given to man is a natural law which cannot be taken away. In our country today, we live by the words of Declaration of Independence stating, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" which is derived from Locke’s original teachings. America today has a Federal Republic government meaning that the people have the choice in who governs and controls their country. This idea also came from Locke’s teaching’s in his ideas of the people governing themselves as well as choosing the government representing them.