Book 1, Part 1 Summary and Analysis

This book is an extensive contemplation and examination of the nature and function of government. Historical examples as well as ones contemporary to the time at which the book was written (the mid 1760s) are cited in support of the author's many arguments, which essentially boil down to three main ideological, and therefore thematic, statements. These statements are that the will of the people is infallible, that the sole function of government (and the men who populate it) is to enact that will, and that government must adapt to whatever form is necessary to do so effectively and with integrity.

In a prologue to this first book, the author states his purpose (see "Quotes," p. 5), commenting that it's his responsibility as a citizen of a free state, with the right to vote, to inform himself as much as possible...