Thomas Hobbes Social Contract in Leviathan for A Level

Thomas Hobbes’ Social Contract is one of the most important ideas put forward by a British Political theorist. Hobbes wrote his seminal work, Leviathan, in the midst of the turmoil of the civil wars that tore through England, Ireland and Scotland. Political concepts are difficult for many students to comprehend at A Level. Especially so when the context in which they were developed was so much different to modern society.

In these activities the context is explored to provide students with a grasp of what was going on around Hobbes as he developed his thinking. They consider how these events may have influenced his ideas before looking at specific issues. These are the nature of man, the rights to which they are entitled and the conflicts that this leads to. The Social Contract that is developed as a result of this theorising is then explored through a variety of activities.

Accompanying the activity pack is a file containing a range of sources and quotes about the work of Hobbes. This provides a bank of reference materials.