Second Treatise of Government

This chapter concerns conquest, an aspect of both political and natural reality that Locke found necessary to include due to its overpowering influence on people regardless of their community or political system.

Locke notes that conquest is a powerful tool of subjugation, but he prefaces his discussion with a small warning, saying, “Indeed, [conquest] often makes way for a new frame of a common-wealth, by destroying the former; but, without the consent of the people, can never erect a new one” (91). The important takeaway from this is that Locke acknowledges that conquering a people is an effective means of gaining control over a territory, community, or political system—but he argues that this control will remain superficial so long as the people are denied an option to voluntarily consent to the imposed rule.

He explains that a conqueror has no conceivable right to the property of a conquered people; in fact, that conqueror only has right to those who voluntarily participated in the conflict against his side, and even then, he does not own their person or property, and is in a somewhat limited position regarding what he is within his rights to make them do.