Eighteenth Century Political Theories of Revolution

Harvard FAS

The American and French Revolutions posed fundamental challenges to the nature of political authority at the end of the 18th century. What makes government legitimate? Should government be remade according to a design? What should we do when a government appears to be illegitimate? What are the promises and peril of thinking of government, and society, as constructs that should be remade to accord with human reason? Students can expect to read texts by some of the most influential political…