Revolution and Secession

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Revolution and Secession
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Governmental Authority

• Governmental authority is coercive and carries
  threat of violent social sanction
• Some argue against govt
• anarchism
• Taoism
• Thrasymachus
• Others see govt as a necessary evil

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For Government

• Confucian argument from tradition
• Legalists, Mohist argue from necessity to teach
  people virtue
• Hobbes -- govt necessary to prevent war of all
  against all
• Locke -- govt to provide judiciary and
  enforcement of law BUT govt limited by consent
  of people

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Lockean Limits on Governmental Authority

• 1. No arbitrary power
• 2. No absolute power
• 3. No taxation without consent of the people
• 4. No transfer of power without consent of people

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Revolution

• The attempt to overthrow a govt for the whole
  people.
• Revolution is justified when
• 1. Government is unjustified (illegitimate)
• 2. The costs of revolution do not outweigh the
  costs of attempting reform of current government.

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Secession

• the breaking away of a part of the people who
  intend to form a separate govt.
• Secession is justified when
• 1. People seceding form a separate people.
• 2. Those in new territory may choose to remain in
  old territory/nation.
• 3. People seceding are able to form new govt.
• 4. Costs of seceding do not outweigh costs of
  reform