Question

In the writings of Thomas Hobbes, sovereignty was used to:

• A. constitute socialism as the oppositional force within capitalist societies
• B. justify monarchical absolutism
• C. differentiate between occupational groups
• D. demarcate international boundaries between enemy nations

Hint:

For Hobbes, the choice is simple: Absolute Sovereignty or Total Chaos. He values Security above Liberty.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: Thomas Hobbes, in his masterpiece *Leviathan* (1651), developed a theory of political obligation based on the necessity of an absolute sovereign to prevent the chaos of the "State of Nature."

Step 1: The State of Nature.
Hobbes described the state of nature as a condition of "war of every man against every man," where life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." To escape this, individuals enter into a social contract.

Step 2: The Leviathan and Absolute Power.
Under the contract, individuals surrender all their rights (except the right to self-preservation) to a "Sovereign" or "Leviathan." Hobbes argued this sovereign must have absolute and indivisible power to enforce laws and ensure peace. If power is divided (as in a democracy or between church and state), the state risks falling back into civil war.

Step 3: Justification of the Monarch.
While the sovereign could technically be an assembly, Hobbes personally favored a Monarch because a single person’s interest is more closely tied to the public interest. His theory was a direct justification for the absolute authority of the ruler over the subjects.