EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
Equality of estates caused equality of power, and equality of power is liberty.
- James Harrington (1611-1677) was influenced by his economic analysis of politics. James Harrington, with great acumen, has elaborated the economic basis of republicanism. He followed the policy and method of Aristotle.
- The central idea of the above is that if the total amount of land is held by a few persons, the majority of the people will be both economically and politically dependent upon the nobility, that is, the economically powerful class, and this dependence will cause dissension among the members of this class. But if the land is distributed among the masses, the power and influence of the nobility will be curtailed and the Commonwealth will be saved.
- James Harrington wants to emphasize that powerful nobility is inconsistent with a republican form of government. There is also a striking resemblance between Harrington and Machiavelli, both held that there is inconsistency between nobility and republicanism.
- He classifies the states according to the distribution of land. If one man is the sole owner of the entire landed property, he is grand signeur and his empire is absolute monarchy.
- If the few or a nobility with clergy be landlords or overbalance the people to the like proportion, it makes the Gothic balance and the empire is mixed monarchy. And if the whole people be landlords or hold the lands so divided among them that no man or number of men overbalance them the empire is a commonwealth.
- The law which determines the distribution of land is called agrarian law and any government which has no agrarian law can never be stable. England at the time of Harrington was an agricultural country and this inspired him to deduce the conclusion that in the agricultural sector there shall be balance.
- This again reminds us of Aristotle’s influence upon Harrington. But his economic balance was not limited to the agrarian country; it was extended to non-agricultural states. His contemporary Holland and Genoa were not agricultural states. The source of wealth of these countries was trade. It is believed that he was also thinking of these states.
- Harrington’s ideal state is the ideal balance of economic forces. This ideal can be attained only by the establishment of an equal Commonwealth.
- However, it is worth noting that the relationship between equality of estates, equality of power, and liberty is not necessarily straightforward. Other factors, such as social and cultural factors, can also influence how power is distributed in a society. Moreover, it is not clear that the equality of estates alone is sufficient to ensure political equality and liberty. Other political and institutional arrangements, such as democratic institutions and the rule of law, may also be necessary to achieve these goals.
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