Wise men, if they try to speak their language to the common herd instead of its own, cannot possibly make themselves understood. There are a thousand kinds of ideas which it is impossible to translate into popular language. Conceptions that are too general and objects that are too remote are equally out of its range: each individual, having no taste for any other plan of government than that which suits his particular interest, finds it difficult to realize the advantages he might hope to draw from the continual privations good laws impose. -from VII: "The Legislator" How does human nature impact politics and government? What is the "social contract," and what are our obligations to it? Is the "general will" infallible? What are the limits of sovereign power? What are the marks of "good government"? What constitutes the death of the body politic? How can we check the usurpations of government? Swiss philosopher JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU (1712-1778) was a dramatic influence on the French revolution, 19th-century communism, the American Founding Fathers, and much modern political thought, primarily through this 1762 work, his most influential. Here, he explores concepts of civil society, human sovereignty, and effective government that continue to be debated-and not yet settled-in the 21st century. A classic of modern thought, this is required reading for anyone wishing to be considered well educated.

Holding men in wretched subservience, feudalism --- alongside religion --- was a powerful force in the eighteenth century. Self-serving monarchic social systems, which collectively reduced common people to servitude, were now attacked by Enlightenment philosophers, of whom Rousseau was a leading light. His masterpiece, The Social Contract, profoundly influenced the subsequent development of society and remains provocative in a modern age of continuing widespread vested interest.

First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1928, The Payment of Wages came out amid the controversies over workshop conditions caused by the Great War. It has held its place as the standard work describing the various systems of wage payments and their effects. Mr. Cole raises challengingly the question of the need for a completely new policy on the part of the trade unions and employees alike. This book is sure to provoke discussion, and would be of interest to students of economy and history.

This book, first published in 1942, covers the whole field of wartime life and organization. Is the private ownership and control of industry holding up production? Are the burdens of war being shared equally by the whole community? How can individual liberty be reconciled with maximum efficiency? Are women taking their rightful share in the national effort? Does our literature and art reflect the spirit of an aroused and determined people? Have we a message which will win the oppressed peoples of Europe to our side? These questions are frankly discussed and positive suggestions are made.

This book, first published in 1942, covers the whole field of wartime life and organization. Is the private ownership and control of industry holding up production? Are the burdens of war being shared equally by the whole community? How can individual liberty be reconciled with maximum efficiency? Are women taking their rightful share in the national effort? Does our literature and art reflect the spirit of an aroused and determined people? Have we a message which will win the oppressed peoples of Europe to our side? These questions are frankly discussed and positive suggestions are made.

First published in 1948, this book gives a full account of the development of the British Labour Party from its emergence as a national influence in the first world war to its return to power with an effective majority after the second world war. The study includes an epilogue which surveys the achievements of the party in the years after the 1945 election. This title will be of interest to scholars and students of history and politics.

First published in 1925. Robert Owen was, in the author's words, 'that rarest of phenomena, an utterly disinterested critic of a system by which he had himself risen to greatness', and in studying his life this work reveals with a remarkable clarity the first phases of the Industrial Revolution crowded as it was with events, changes, ideas, and characters. This title will be of great interest to scholars and students of labour history.

First published in 1941. This purpose of this history of the earlier phases of the political Labour movement was due to the author's belief that there was a need for a positive effort to re-create the legion of inspired and untiring propagandists for Socialism whose work made the Labour Party possible. This title will be of interest to scholars and students of history and politics.

First published in 1939. This book provides a balanced picture of Trade Unionism as it was in the 1930s, both in general and in each of the principal industries and services. The study opens with a brief outline of Trade Union history, before examining Trade Unions in various industries, including mining, transport, and the postal service. British Trade Unionism To-Day will be of great interest to students and scholars of labour and political history.

This brilliant analysis, first published in 1923, predicted the development of shop floor bargaining and explains how attitudes, doubts and fears have remained relatively fixed yet open to various pressures. Most of all, it shows why employers extended recognition to work place unionism in the crucial years of 1917-19. This title will be of interest to students and scholars of labour history.

First published in 1951. The purpose of this study was to consider the prospects of the British Co-operative movement in all its main aspects and not as a consumers' movement only. The author examines ways in which the Co-operative enterprise, in its various forms, could best be fitted into the economic structure of the coming society. This title will be of great interest to scholars and students of labour history.

First published in 1924. This book provides a balanced picture of Trade Unionism as it was in the 1920s. The study opens with a brief outline of Trade Union history, before examining Trade Unions' structure, its place in government, and the internal issues that Trade Unions faced. Organised Labour will be of great interest to students and scholars of labour and political history.

First published in 1948, this book gives a full account of the development of the British Labour Party from its emergence as a national influence in the first world war to its return to power with an effective majority after the second world war. The study includes an epilogue which surveys the achievements of the party in the years after the 1945 election. This title will be of interest to scholars and students of history and politics.

First published in 1941. This purpose of this history of the earlier phases of the political Labour movement was due to the author's belief that there was a need for a positive effort to re-create the legion of inspired and untiring propagandists for Socialism whose work made the Labour Party possible. This title will be of interest to scholars and students of history and politics.

First published in 1924. This book provides a balanced picture of Trade Unionism as it was in the 1920s. The study opens with a brief outline of Trade Union history, before examining Trade Unions' structure, its place in government, and the internal issues that Trade Unions faced. Organised Labour will be of great interest to students and scholars of labour and political history.

First published in 1951. The purpose of this study was to consider the prospects of the British Co-operative movement in all its main aspects and not as a consumers' movement only. The author examines ways in which the Co-operative enterprise, in its various forms, could best be fitted into the economic structure of the coming society. This title will be of great interest to scholars and students of labour history.

First published in 1925. Robert Owen was, in the author's words, 'that rarest of phenomena, an utterly disinterested critic of a system by which he had himself risen to greatness', and in studying his life this work reveals with a remarkable clarity the first phases of the Industrial Revolution crowded as it was with events, changes, ideas, and characters. This title will be of great interest to scholars and students of labour history.

First published in 1920, Chaos and Order in Industry studies the causes and solutions to labour strikes as well as inadequacies in industry organizations. It proposes that the problems afflicting industry and labour does not only affect the working class, but also affects the middle and the upper class who may be unable to realize the connection due to their class prejudice. It states that the industry needs to comply with human standards of value by which it is being judged. This book will be of interest to students of economics and history.

First published in 1937, What is Ahead of Us? is a collection of essays, which were originally presented as lectures before the Fabian Society. Conceived in an era of growing fascism and economic despair, the essays urge the reader to imagine more equitable alternatives to capitalism. The authors offer socialism as a solution but what is more interesting is their criticism of capitalism and the connections they draw between capitalism and fascism using examples from the West. This book will be of interest to students of history, economics and political science.

First published in 1920, Social Theory endeavours to put together the social contents of various experiences of the ordinary man, and to make them, as far as they form one, a coherent and consistent whole. Social theory is not concerned directly with all the actions of individual men, but mainly with their actions taken in concert through some temporary or permanent organized group, and with the actions of such groups as they affect and react upon the individual. It is not primarily concerned with the State but with the whole problem of human association - that is, of associative will and action. This book will be of interest to students of economics, political science and sociology.