The Evolvement Of Neoteric Occidental Power View And Its Revelation

The thesis makes a portrait of the evolution from "Immoral Powers" of Machiavelli in early 16th century to Rousseau's "Thorough Democracy by the People" in late 18th century. The course lasted for nearly three centuries, witnessing the progress of modern western thought on state's power, a development from embryo to adultness. During the period, there appeared a great number of progressive thinkers, who upheld the humanistic soul originated from Renaissance and abandoned theological outlook, thus giving new insights to the thought of state's power. The scholars conducted penetrated theoretical studies, from their respective points, on the rationality, nature, tenet of the power as well as its division and constraints. Generally, the development of the thought may be classified into two stages, namely, a nationalistic view on power and a right-based view.The nationalistic view formed during the period in which the bourgeoisie, who was in a weaker status, attempted to, by taking advantage of f monarch's power, oppose theology, defeat feudal separatist powers and hence shape a united nation for the development of capitalist economy. It is progressive to certain extent in that its thinkers looked into state's power from a humanistic instead of a divine view, making state founded upon humanism and human behavior, and freeing politics from the position. From this point, the view is historically significant. The right-based view is built on the theories of "created human rights" and "social contract". The doctrine began to appear in a period when national unity had been completed as a whole. However, the state's power is monopolized by the monarchs. "I equal to the state" and "laws shall be in accordance with my decree" were something quite common then. The monarch's power, which the bourgeoisies had strived for and cheered at, with its untethered expansions, became obstacles on the way to capitalism. But the bourgeoisies remained unable to change the situation, thus they had to seek the help of masses of working people. The bourgeois thinker advanced the ideas of opposing monarch's power, struggling for human rights including, freedom, equality , wealth and happiness, and tried to invent effective legal system to restrict the monarch's...