In the History of Political Thoughts R.N. Berki provides an overview of the whole span of political thought in our civilization, treating both thinkers and ideas in a concise and genuinely historical manner. The discussion is organized around historical changes in conceptions of the human being, with special reference to man's relationship to the community. Starting with chapters on the relation of political thought to the experience of politics, and even more importantly, to history, the author the describes and analyses in turn the political thought of ancient times - the "philosophic" vision; the "religious" vision of medieval times; the "civic" vision of early modern times; and the "social" vision of the modern age. From Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Cicero through Augustine, Aquinas and Marsilus, and Machavelli, Bodin, Hobbes and Locke to Rosseau, Burke, Hegel, Mill and Marx, the book covers all our outstanding political thinkers. This is the first compact introductory work to appear on the subject for many years and will be of immense value to every student of politics"- Publisher.