Analysis Of John Locke: Disposing Of A Tyrannical Ruler
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Disposing of a Tyrannical Ruler A tyrant is a master of deceiving his people and taking advantage of the government of which he rules over. John Locke professes that a leader does not come into power because the people know that his intentions for the society are based on his self-sufficient desires. A ruler becomes a tyrant when he makes use of the power "not for the good of those who are under it, but for his own private separate advantage." The society's acknowledgement of the abuse of executive power establishes the movement out of a tyranny. The abuse of executive power leads to the altering of the legislature which eventually leads to the society's acknowledgement of this abuse which forces a state of war between the executive power…show more content… Without a legislature working for the good of society, the society would not exist at all. There should be no way that the executive power should be the most powerful branch of government for "In all cases, whilst the government subsists, the legislative is the supreme power" (78). The legislative power is supreme in every society and if the executive power deems himself supreme, he is altering the legislative branch. By altering the legislative branch, he is dissolving the union in which the legislative is supposed to preserve. If the legislative branch does not preserve the union, the whole society collapses. Locke proclaims that the "constitution of the legislative is the first and fundamental act of society, whereby provision is made for the continuation of their union" (108). If a self-sufficient tyrant puts himself in place of the legislative, provisions will not be made for the continuation of their union. Instead, by putting his own will in place of the law, the tyrant will cause the society to dissolve. If the society does not continue to survive, neither will the government. This is true in all cases because "whenever the society is dissolved, it is certain that the government of that society cannot remain" (107). The people of a tyrannical society are usually so deceived by their ruler that they do not realize their society is being destroyed. Locke voices soundly throughout his writing that the people have supreme power over their ruler and have to use it when it is needed. If the people of a society do not realize how they have been deceived, the continuation of their society will cease to be. If the people do realize, however, that their society is failing, they possess the supreme power to overthrow their tyrannical ruler and save their