Analysis Of Thomas Hobbes And The Autocratic System

Hobbes and the Autocratic System John Adams says “Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” John Adams, a founding father of arguably the greatest representative democracy in the world, argues against the very system he helped build. Much like British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, John Adams supports the efficiency an autocratic government provides. Thomas Hobbes contends that autocratic governments, regardless of the outcome of their decisions, are more productive then their democratic counterparts as championed by Locke. Examples of this are the Peloponnesian war and the current stalemate in …show more content…
Locke believes the only successful government is one in which the people are able to use their own thought processes to interpret the government; therefore, Locke concludes that, because every man is able to make his own decision based on reason, he should have a reasonable say in government (Austin 127). In contrast, Hobbes is more pessimistic of the ability for man to make wise decisions. Hobbes is of the authoritarian mindset in which men must have a “common power to keep them all in awe (Austin 121).” In other words, Hobbes states that a government can be run by an assembly, monarch, or dictator; however that executive body must have complete control with the power to make immediate decisions on any issue to ensure the efficient functioning of the state (Guyer 92). Unlike Locke, Hobbes affirms that the citizens of the state should have no right to rebellion against the supreme executive power (Guyer 92). Hobbes concludes that autocratic rulers are less burdened with “inconveniences” and can focus more on the running of a nation rather than bending to every whim of the people (Guyer