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Hobbes publishes Leviathan
The Leviathan was a book published by Thomas Hobbes in 1651. The book was about an argument in favor of a monarchic government. During the time it was published a civil war between England and France was looming. This fueled a small part of the Royalist Resistance. This also caused England to become a constitutional Monarchy. -
Locke publishes Two Treatises on Government
The Two Treatises on Government were treatises that argue in support of the divine right of kings and the proposed solution to the political upheaval in England. During the time that this was published there was a lot of political drama involving King Charles II. This effected government by helping within the aristocracy to overthrow Charles II. It also contributed to the Glorious Revolution. -
Montesquieu published the spirit of laws
The Spirit of Las is a treatise about the idea that the best government would be one in which was balanced in power (three branches), things were made up of rules or laws that were never changed. During this time colonization was occurring in the now U.S. After this was published the ideas were used as a basis of the U.S. constitution. -
Rousseau published The Social Contract. Emile
The social Contract was written by Rousseau in 1762. This was a contract that expresses the view that a person;s moral and political obligations are dependent upon an agreement among them to form the society in which they live. The idea of the social contract existed since the renaissance. This contract got Rousseau banned from France since it involved religion. It also influenced government throughout Europe and it contributed to the ideals of the french revolution. -
Beccaria published On Crimes and Punishment
On crimes and punishment is a book about the concerns of itself with philosophy and practice of society in its efforts to repress criminal activities. When this was published torture of the 18th century lead Beccaria to think this. After this was published crime was then considered a adequate to overbalance it's assumed advantages and excessive penalties (death penalty) were unnecessary.