James Harrington And Republicanism

Republicanism is an important political tradition in the West.From the ancient Rome,the Roman Republic has had an important influence on the theory of republicanism.Since the Roman Empire,although the practice of medieval cities such as Venice and Florence has appeared,the monarchy is the norm in the Western medieval polity model.The Republican government has long been considered unsuitable for large countries.It was not until the founding of the United States in 1789,especially after the French Revolution,that the Republican government became the main mode of the modern state.During the transition from the medieval city state to the modern democratic sovereign state established after the American and French Revolutions,the English republicanism of the 1750 s was in the turning point of the republican tradition,and a number of important republican thinkers emerged,among which Harrington was the most innovative one.As an opposition within the Republican Party,Harrington refuted the Republic of England as an oligarchy and proposed an alternative program to establish the Republic,The Commonwealth of Oceana.However,Harrington's theory did not become mainstream during the British vacancy period,but influenced the United States through new Harringtonism.In the history of political thought in the 17 th century,he was shrouded in the shadow of Hobbes and Locke,and he received far less attention than the two.Prior to World War II,Harrington's attention was mainly focused on the field of social economic history.After the Second World War,with the Cambridge School's renaissance of republicanism,Harrington was gradually reinterpreted as an important political thinker of the 17 th century.Among them,Pocock's research played a key role in the revival of Harrington's thoughts.He traced the roots of republicanism to England's thoughts,from the English thoughts back to the Italian Renaissance humanism and classical political philosophy,and Harrington was seen as an important figure in the evolution of republicanism.Based on Harrington's special position in the tradition of republicanism,this paper selects The Commonwealth of Oceana as the research text,comprehensively sorts out Harrington's republican theory,and tries to make a more accurate evaluation of the historical position and value of its republican theory.This paper is composed of an introduction,a text and a conclusion.The text is divided into four parts:The first part mainly introduces the historical background of the 17 th century English civil war and Harrington's main intention of writing The Commonwealth of Oceana.On the one hand,it summarizes the historical and theoretical origin of Harrington's republican theory.After the civil war,Cromwell established a republic,but in practice it ruled the house of Commons.The Commonwealth of Oceana was the alternative to Harrington's oligarchic view of the unicameral republic and his insistence on a popular government.On the other hand,this paper introduces the writing process of The Commonwealth of Oceana,probes into the main intention of writing The Commonwealth of Oceana,and provides specific historical context for understanding Harrington and The Commonwealth of Oceana.The second part explains the theoretical basis for the establishment of the Republic.In the introduction to the The Commonwealth of Oceana,Harrington used a lot of space to discuss the principles of the government.He inherited the principle of mixed equilibrium in the ancient Greco-Roman world,and was inspired by the republican practice and theory of the Renaissance,and proposed the principle of property rights balance and authority.First,the principle of equity balance is explained.This principle explains the special relationship between wealth and power.According to this principle,Harrington strongly advocates the establishment of a republic in Britain.Secondly,it discusses the principle of authority.The principle of authority is an intrinsic principle.It emphasizes the inner compliance based on the various qualities of the mind.Based on the relationship between authority,reason and interests,Harrington advocates the establishment of "the kingdom of law,not the kingdom of man".Through the division of labor between debate and choice,the bicameral legislature is deduced.The third part,discusses the institutional construction of the republic.Firstly,it expounds the construction of Harrington's basic system,including election law and land law,which is the legal basis for Harrington to establish bicameral parliament and to govern by turns.Secondly,Harrington on the specific system of the design,mainly around the bicameral parliament to discuss;Finally,Harrington's imperial thought was discussed.Under the influence of the Roman model,Harrington advocated the establishment of an expanded maritime empire.The fourth part elaborates the ideological legacy left by Harrington for the history of political thought.Firstly,it is going to summarize the Harrington doctrine on the eve of restoration.On the eve of the restoration,the English people began a heated discussion about the establishment of "another court." Harrington's doctrine was applied to his political opinions by his followers to varying degrees.Secondly,it will analyze the impact of the new Harringtonism on the founding of the United States.Harrington's thoughts reappeared in the 1770 s through the revision of the new Harringtonists,and were absorbed by Americans such as Adams and other generations in the 18 th century,thus affecting the American political system.Finally,explore the significance of Harrington and The Commonwealth of Oceana in the tradition of republicanism.