On the Source of Government and Power

Abstract

Power relations exist among all people and all social organizations. Power is the basis of responsibility and interest relations, and also the basis of all political relations. Power stems from violence. Only by relying on sufficient violent means can a government obtain adequate power and executive capacity. The main content of political science is to study the problems of social organizations that hold the highest power. The earliest ancient governments, in terms of the ways they obtained and maintained power, were no different from criminal organizations. The theory of social contract reverses the relationship between means and ends. The purpose of bandits or pirates establishing a regime was not to enter into a contract; entering into a contract was merely a means to maintain their rule. The formation of a contract is mainly not through negotiation but through military conquest. The Marxist theory of the origin of state correctly pointed out that the state is produced through violence and is a tool for class oppression. The mistake of Marxism was to replace political struggle with class struggle. Political struggle not only includes conflicts arising from economic interests but also those from ethnic, marital, religious, and organizational interests.