The Rights of Man

In this chapter, by far the book’s shortest at little more than one page in length, Paine examines hereditary governments and deplores “the iniquity and disgrace with which they began” (111). The British government, which originated in the Norman Conquest of 1066, is but one example. When monarchs filled the thrones of all Europe after plundering their own people, they started to plunder each other: “It was ruffian torturing ruffian” (111). As time passed, this robbery “assumed the foster name of revenue; and the power originally usurped, they affected to inherit” (112, emphasis added).

In noting that all monarchical governments originated in conquest and then devolved into organized theft (i.e., “revenue,” or the imposition of heavy taxes), Paine suggests that monarchical systems begin by oppressing their own populations and then turn to warfare with one another for greater dominion and wealth. In this way, Paine presents monarchical systems as not only unjust domestically, but as a threat to international peace.