Ep. 116 — Avoiding the Pitfalls of Dictators

How did two 17th century European philosophers shape the various systems of government we see worldwide? Thomas Hobbes believed stability relied on a "Leviathan" government, an all powerful state to maintain order.  John Locke wrote about unalienable rights and the role of government in protecting those rights.  Authoritative countries like Russia, China and North Korea follow the "Leviathan" model while democracies and republics follow Locke.  While the United States is not the world's first republic, our Founders studied the Greeks, the Romans and Italian city-states like Venice to avoid the failures that brought down past republics and democracies. Join our student panel and guest expert, Dr. Joseph Loconte with the Heritage Foundation, for this informative dive into dictators, authoritarian regimes and the role "freedom of conscience" plays in resisting both systems.