Political Ideas

by David Thomson

A lucid introduction to the significant European political theories of the last five hundred years shows that the study of political ideas of the past is a step toward understanding the human situation and the complex of ideas, motives, feelings, and passions which have shaped the world in which we live. Evoking the contributions and the times of such thinkers as Machiavelli, Luthor, Hobbes, Locke, Paine, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Burke, Hegel, Mill, and Marx, thirteen historians, political scientists and philosophers explore the creation of political sovereignty, the relationship between governments and the governed, the Nation-state, liberal-democracy, communism, and other fundamental political concepts.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

David Thomson (1912 - 1970) was an English historian who wrote several books about British and European history.

He was a Scholar of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge from 1931 to 1934 where he took First Class Honours in both parts of the Historical Tripos. He had a long association with the college and was subsequently a Research Fellow, a Fellow and finally Master. He worked as a university lecturer in history and was a visiting professor at Columbia University in New York.

His works include Europe Since Napoleon (Longmans, 1957); World History from 1914 to 1961 (1963); Democracy in France since 1870 (1964) and two volumes of the Pelican History of England covering the 19th and 20th centuries.

Reviews

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore]

This volume edited by David Thomson (1966) introduces readers to the ideas of twelve Western political thinkers/philosophers from Machiavelli to Marx (Machiavelli, Martin Luther, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Paine, Burke, Hegel, Mazzini, Mill, and Marx). What I loved about it is the very simple way each author (editor included) has put across a profile, and key ideas of each philosopher, also giving a glimpse into their major works. This is probably one of the very few text-books I’ve read from cover to cover and I find myself returning to it each time I need to read up on any one of these. This is a pretty good place to start if one wanted to familiarise oneself with them.

[Seán]

Once a whimsical, sunny-day purchase off a Strand dollar cart, this ur-Brit book of essays had become by mid-2010 just another dreary obligation. Inspiring violent oaths like, "I'll get to you when I do. Ya lucky you've not been pulped!" or "Sure I'll read you, ye remainder bin bastard ye!" I had to kill it off and offer up its remains to my grimy, Salvation Army confreres.

So, an essay collection concerning "significant" European political thinkers and theories, it's very mid-60s and super basic; one gets more than a whiff of an open university cash-in enterprise. Things go best when a philosopher is handed over to an openly disdainful critic rather than an apologist or, worse yet, slobbering fanboy.

For instance, the guy who got Hegel spits venom throughout his 15 pages:

Whitehead once said that the world never quite recovers from the shock of a great philosopher. I do not think that Hegel was a great philosopher; but the sheer range and grandiose garrulity of his works acted like a hydrogen bomb on the history of thought--a vast gaseous mushroom cloud settling on the thought of Europe and seeping insidiously into studies and salons.

Yes!

Rant Bit: As could be expected, the guy assigned Burke sucked, even by the book's lax standards. The writer manages to praise the Right Honorable Eddie B by obscuring the inevitable implications of his positions and glossing over the actual content of his ideas. It reads like a more academic precursor to the drivelings of David Brooks. Burke, regrettably the most famous holder of my surname, was not some harmless hearth-n-home traditionalist, rational democrat, or incrementalist reformer. He was a toady for establishment power, eloquently defending the continuity of oppression yea unto the ages of ages.

[Mohd Jamizal]

All political ideas in one thin treaties. You got all the salient ideas of western political thoughts. Fascinating how human being form their life as social animal administering themselves as society.

[Rob Mackenzie]

Rather dated. Some reasonable summaries of influential political theorists, others are annoying critiques.

[David Highton]

Excellent book, published in the 60s but relevant as the ideas discussed relate to pre 1900

[Greg]

This is the sort of book I truly love.

[Ngan Ha]

Thanks for saving me for my POLI 232 final exam!!!