A Macat Analysis of Two Treatises of Government

Published anonymously by Locke in 1689, Two Treatises claims that a monarch's right to rule does not come from God, but from the people he rules. In the mid-seventeenth century, England removed its king and tried different systems of government before opting to restore a monarchy. This turmoil prompted Locke to explore where a king's power comes from. He decided that a sovereign is there to keep order in society, and people enter into a "contract" with him wherein he protects the people and keeps order in return for their support. But if that sovereign does not take his responsibilities seriously and obey the law himself, someone else should rule.