POL101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: First Nations, Pension, Egalitarianism
Document Summary
Began as a struggle against the british parliament in the 17th century. Parliament became supreme over monarchy in 1689. Power comes from the people through elected members of parliament not from the church (this was revolutionary) Authority to rule is a trust and the people can take it away. They have to govern under the law of the land and the rule of law. Citizens can overthrow governments that are(cid:374)(cid:859)t legiti(cid:373)ate or do(cid:374)(cid:859)t follo(cid:449) the rules. Locke: people choose government because they seek protection, rather than a natural life. We can see this in the declaration of independence and in the declaration of the rights of man and the citizen. Four principles of classic liberalism: personal freedom, limited government, equality of rights, consent of the governed. John stuart mill: the government only has the right to intervene if a person puts others at harm or expense. The threat to freedom is government interference, the state can pose a threat.