Two Treatises of Government

John Locke (1632–1704) is among the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. He argued that people have rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular society. Preface by Federica Rainaldi Federica Rainaldi has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Bologna. Her previous publications include “Making sense of Italian politics” (Part 1 and 2), online at www.politcsworldwide.com; and “Il policy change tra nuovi paradigmi e vecchie pratiche. Le politiche idriche in Italia e Inghilterra”, in Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, n.1/2011 (with R. Scintu). She currently lives and works in England.