THE EVOLUTION OF POLITICAL THOUGHT
ANCIENT GREECE
 The study of politics very important
 Aristotle concluded that “man is by nature a
political animal”
MEDIAEVAL PERIOD (400 C.E. – 1300 C.E)
 Politics are describes as observable, understandable and classifiable human
behaviours
 Politics is secondary to the Christian church in importance
 Political philosophers focused on what ought to be rather than what is
THE RENAISSANCE (1300’s)
 A move from a feudal society to a more modern world
 Urban economy based on organized capitalism, secular control of thought and
culture
 Focus on what is rather than what ought to be
 Machiavelli wrote “The Prince” concerning the ways for a monarch to maintain
absolute power
THE AGE OF REASON (late 1600’s)
 Focus on the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of governments
 Thomas Hobbes advocated absolute government to control human behaviour
 John Locke believed government should be limited and accountable to give people
freedom to be themselves
THE ENLIGHTENMENT (1700’s)
 Intellectuals moved in support of reform and change (Rousseau et. al)
 The industrial revolution, American Revolution, and French Revolution caused much
change in the lives of citizens
 John Stuart Mill thought no group should receive privileged consideration
 Karl Marx believed a move was underway from feudalism to capitalism, and from
socialism to communism
CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THOUGHT (1800 – modern day)
 Conservatism is a critique of liberalism
 Modern liberalism evolves (J.S. Mill – a state cannot interfere with a person’s
liberty unless it interferes with the rights of others)
 Marxism (created in opposition to liberal ideas and responded to the deteriorating
conditions of the working class)
 Critiques of ideologies and the effort to use politics to improve upon the system
(ie. fascism and national socialism, feminism, post modernism)