A paradigm represents the way in which a society perceives the world and the reality depending on the historical context, the scientific thinking and different cultures.
The social contractualists lived between the 17thC and the 18thC. They are considered contractualists because they conceive the relationship between government and people as a contractual relationship, that is to say, an agreement between different parts. All of them agree in the necessity of a government. Nevertheless they differ in their main preconceptions. The different thinkers show interest in the study of the political theories about government, its nature and its source of power.
Hobbes had the idea that a socio-political order based on the absolute monarchy was needed to control the anarchic behaviour that men had in their nature. So we can say that he supported the aristocracy. On the contrary, Locke thought that men had rational nature and that power had to be rational too. Montesquieu followed the same thinking as Locke. He proposed the division of the power into three in order to limit it. These three powers were: a legislative power to sanction laws, an executive power for the administration of the interest of the public, and a judicial power for the correct application of justice. Rousseau also followed Locke and he considered that power emerges from the general will and that it was the source of law. Locke, Montesquieu and Rousseau supported the bourgeoisie.
What we can see is that as we reach the end of the 17thC and enter the 18thC the paradigm based on the theory of absolute power little by little is changed for a paradigm that conceives people as rational humans with rights and because of that the monarchy is limited by the natural rights and the constitution. The critic to the absolute monarchy begins and a new paradigm which is followed by the bourgeoisie arises. It is based on a government that respects the laws and has limited powers: the paradigm of the constitutional monarchy.
Towards the end of the 18thC a series of events produce the outbreak of the French Revolution. These events were of economical, social, political and ideological nature. The French society was an agricultural one. On the economical side there were many years of severe drought that resulted in the risen of the prices of cereals, which were essential for the production of bread. This generated social discontent. Besides, the economic situation was hardened by the participation of the State in the American War. On the social side the French society was divided on different social sectors strongly differentiated with a privileged group which was constituted by the nobility and the clergy, on the other hand there was another group denominated Third State integrated by the bourgeoisie, the peasants and the craftsmen who formed the 98% of the total population. On the political and ideological side the critic to the absolute monarchy led by the bourgeoisie finds in the social contractualists the theoretical bases to a political reform that will allow them to participate in the political life and limit the powers of the king.
Taking into account the gravity of the crisis, the king Luis XVI called the General States with the objective of sanctioning the increase of the taxes. The people opposed to that and decided to self proclaim a National Assembly. The king had to acknowledge the Assembly when thousands of Frenchmen demonstrated their support to it. On the 26th of August of 1789 the declaration of Rights of Men and Citizens was established. The principles included there summarized the liberal ideas of the bourgeoisie. On 1791 a constitution with division of powers was promulgated. Then France became a limited monarchy.
All in all we can see that as years passed paradigms changed from a paradigm which considered absolute monarchy as the greatest form of government to one that establishes that government should respect power division and citizen’s rights. The ideas of liberty, equality and rights that were promoted by the French Revolution transformed men into citizens and incorporated new rights: first civil and political rights, then in the 20thC social rights. This paradigm not only imposed in Europe the beginning of the Constitutional Monarchy but also as time went by consolidated the principles that are supported by the modern republics nowadays.
This article has been published with the expressed consent of the author.
RLH (tutor)
