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A-Level · Core Political Ideas

POL.CPI4 Liberal Thinkers: John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft

EDEXCEL 9PL0 · Calculators not allowed · about 75 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Short-answer items may be brief but must be precise. For levels-marked questions, write developed paragraphs with accurate political knowledge and clear evaluation. Use the named thinkers John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft where required.

Define, as used by John Locke in Two Treatises of Government (1689), the term 'natural rights' in the context of political obligation.

(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)

Identify the publication year of John Locke's Two Treatises of Government and name one key political idea contained in it.

(Total for Question 2 is 2 marks)

State two of Locke's classic natural rights most often quoted in A-level Politics teaching.

(Total for Question 3 is 2 marks)

Explain Locke's idea of the state of nature as it appears in Two Treatises of Government (1689).

(Total for Question 4 is 3 marks)

Explain the meaning of 'government by consent' in Locke's political thought and give one brief implication for constitutional government.

(Total for Question 5 is 4 marks)

Explain Locke's argument for limited constitutional government in Two Treatises of Government and name one mechanism he favoured to limit rulers.

(Total for Question 6 is 5 marks)

State two central claims Mary Wollstonecraft makes in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) about women and equality.

(Total for Question 7 is 4 marks)

Explain Wollstonecraft's idea of rational individualism and how it extends a liberal principle to gender relations.

(Total for Question 8 is 3 marks)

Explain Wollstonecraft's critique of women's exclusion from education and how she links this exclusion to wider political inequality.

(Total for Question 9 is 5 marks)

Analyse two ways in which Locke's ideas reflect classical liberalism, using his writings in Two Treatises of Government (1689) as the context.

(Total for Question 10 is 10 marks)

Explain two ways Mary Wollstonecraft's liberalism departs from Locke's formulation on property and citizenship, referring to A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792).

(Total for Question 11 is 6 marks)

Evaluate the extent to which John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft agree on the foundations of liberalism, using their key works Two Treatises of Government (1689) and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) as the main sources. Anchor your answer in both thinkers and reach a judgement.

(Total for Question 12 is 24 marks)

Mark scheme · POL.CPI4 Liberal Thinkers: John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft

Question 1

B1 a concise definition identifying natural rights as rights presumed to belong to individuals by virtue of their human nature, prior to government
Answer: Rights belonging to individuals by virtue of being human, existing prior to and independent of government, such as life, liberty and property.

Question 2

B1 1689 cao
B1 one accurate key idea, e.g. government by consent, natural rights to life liberty and property, or limited constitutional government
Answer: 1689; for example, government by consent.

Question 3

B1 one correct right, e.g. life
B1 another correct right, e.g. liberty or property (each counts as one mark)
Answer: Any two of: life, liberty and property.

Question 4

B1 states that the state of nature is a pre-political condition where individuals are free and equal
B1 identifies that natural law governs conduct and protects natural rights
B1 explains why people consent to government, e.g. to secure impartial protection of rights
Answer: Locke's state of nature is a pre-political condition in which individuals are free and equal and governed by natural law; people possess natural rights which are vulnerable, so they consent to government to secure impartial protection of those rights.

Question 5

B1 identifies that government by consent means political authority is legitimate only if individuals agree to it
B1 explains how consent may be expressed, e.g. social contract or majority rule
B1 states an implication, e.g. rulers are accountable to citizens or can be removed
B1 development of implication, e.g. supports limits on arbitrary power and the idea of constitutional constraints
Answer: Government by consent is the idea that political authority is legitimate only when individuals agree, usually via a social contract or collective acceptance; an implication is that rulers are accountable and removable, supporting constitutional limits on arbitrary power and legal protections for individual rights.

Question 6

B1 identifies that government should be limited to protecting natural rights
B1 explains the need to separate legislative and executive functions or constrain power
B1 identifies a mechanism, e.g. a written constitution, rule of law, or separation of powers principle
B1 develops how the mechanism limits rulers, e.g. rule of law binds rulers to established laws protecting rights
B1 links back to Locke's purpose, e.g. preventing arbitrary power and protecting property and liberty
Answer: Locke argued government should be limited to securing natural rights and must not exercise arbitrary power; he favoured mechanisms such as separation of legislative and executive functions and the rule of law (or a constitution) to bind rulers, thereby preventing tyranny and protecting property and liberty.

Question 7

B1 one accurate claim, e.g. women are rational beings entitled to the same natural rights as men
B1 second accurate claim, e.g. women should have equal access to education or property and citizenship rights
B1 third accurate claim, e.g. the social treatment of women produces perceived female inferiority
B1 fourth accurate claim, e.g. marriage and legal dependency restrict women's freedom
Answer: Any two of: women are rational individuals entitled to the same natural rights as men; women should have equal access to education; women's legal and social exclusion from property and citizenship is unjust; marriage laws and social norms that produce female dependency should be reformed.

Question 8

B1 identifies rational individualism as the claim that individuals are rational agents who should exercise reason
B1 explains extension to gender, e.g. women possess reason and so should have the same civic rights
B1 links to political consequences, e.g. equal education and property rights follow
Answer: Rational individualism is the claim that individuals are rational agents who should exercise reason in moral and political life; Wollstonecraft extends this to gender by insisting women are equally rational and so should enjoy the same civic rights, education and legal standing as men.

Question 9

B1 identifies that Wollstonecraft argued women were denied proper education
B1 explains consequence, e.g. lack of education produces dependency and cultivated 'weakness' or vanity
B1 links to political inequality, e.g. uneducated women cannot exercise reasoned citizenship or defend rights
B1 gives an example or development, e.g. reforming education would enable women to be moral and civic equals
B1 connects to liberal principle, e.g. education as a means to realise individuals' natural rights and autonomy
Answer: Wollstonecraft argued women were systematically denied proper education, which produced dependency, cultivated weakness and prevented women from exercising reasoned judgement; this educational exclusion is linked to political inequality because uneducated women cannot function as autonomous citizens or defend their rights, so reforming education is essential to realise liberal claims about individual rights and autonomy.

Question 10

Level 1 (1-3): Limited description of Locke with general points, such as mentioning rights or consent without clear development or links to classical liberal principles.
Level 2 (4-6): Clear explanation of at least one way Locke reflects classical liberalism, with accurate use of Locke's concepts and some analysis of their significance.
Level 3 (7-10): Detailed analysis of two distinct ways Locke reflects classical liberalism, showing how his ideas about natural rights, property, consent or limited government embody classical liberal values, and evaluating their implications.
Indicative content:
- Locke's emphasis on natural rights to life liberty and property echoes the classical liberal prioritisation of individual liberty and private property as foundations of a just political order.
- Locke's argument that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed aligns with classical liberal distrust of hereditary or absolute authority and supports government limited by the will of citizens.
- Locke's defence of limited constitutional government, the rule of law and constraints on rulers embodies the classical liberal aim to protect individuals from arbitrary power and to secure a framework for free economic and social activity.
- Analysis could note tensions or limits, for example Locke's justification of property via labour could be examined for how it privileges propertied interests or how his toleration exclusions temper a fully egalitarian liberalism.
- A strong response will link Locke's arguments to classical liberal themes and explain why these features make his thought seminal for later liberal theorists.

Question 11

B1 identifies a departure, e.g. Wollstonecraft's explicit challenge to legal and educational exclusions of women from property and citizenship
B1 develops how this departs from Locke, e.g. Locke's natural rights rhetoric did not explicitly extend to women in practice
B1 identifies a second departure, e.g. Wollstonecraft criticises the social conditioning that transforms women into dependents rather than equal rights-bearing agents
B1 develops the second point, linking it to implications for citizenship and education
B1 links both departures to liberal theory, e.g. extending liberal individualism to demand institutional change
B1 offers brief evidence or example, e.g. Wollstonecraft's call for equal education and legal reforms
Answer: Wollstonecraft departs from Locke by explicitly insisting that natural rights and rational individualism must include women, challenging legal and educational exclusions that left women without property rights or full citizenship; she also emphasises that social conditioning, not natural inferiority, explains women's subordinate position and so calls for institutional reforms such as equal education to realise liberal equality.

Question 12

Level 1 (1-6): Basic knowledge of Locke and/or Wollstonecraft with limited analysis or evaluation. Claims are general and lack supporting evidence or linkage to liberal foundations.
Level 2 (7-12): Clear knowledge of both thinkers and some analysis of areas of agreement and disagreement, but evaluation is undeveloped or one-sided. Some accurate textual references may be present.
Level 3 (13-18): Detailed knowledge and analysis of how Locke and Wollstonecraft articulate liberal foundations, showing clear comparisons and some critical evaluation, with relevant evidence from their works.
Level 4 (19-24): Sophisticated, balanced evaluation that integrates detailed textual knowledge of both thinkers, weighs strengths and limits of their agreement on liberal foundations, addresses counter-arguments and reaches a clearly argued, justified judgement about the extent of their agreement.
Indicative content:
- Areas of agreement: both emphasise individual rights and the importance of reason, making rational individualism a common foundation; both view legitimate government as having limits and being justified by consent or the need to protect rights.
- Locke's emphases: natural rights to life liberty and property, consent as the basis of political legitimacy, and constitutional limits to prevent arbitrary rule. Locke's account largely addresses male property holders and focuses on property as central to political order.
- Wollstonecraft's emphases: extension of rational individualism to women, critique of social and legal barriers that prevent women enjoying rights in practice, insistence on equal education and legal standing as necessary to realise liberal principles.
- Points of departure: Wollstonecraft explicitly applies liberal foundations to gender, arguing Locke's general principles must be extended to women; Locke's writings do not systematically challenge gendered exclusions and can be read as implicitly limited in their practical application.
- Tensions within liberalism: consider how Locke's defence of property and conditional toleration may produce limits in the inclusiveness of liberalism, and how Wollstonecraft's critique exposes a gap between abstract principles and social institutions.
- Evaluation could assess whether the differences are a matter of emphasis and extension, so that Wollstonecraft completes Locke's project by universalising it, or whether they are deeper, with Wollstonecraft rejecting assumptions about who counts as a full bearer of rights.
- Evidence to use: Locke on natural rights consent and limited government in Two Treatises; Wollstonecraft on education property and civic inclusion in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, with dates 1689 and 1792 cited where relevant.
- A strong conclusion should judge the extent of agreement, for example arguing that they share core liberal foundations in principle but differ significantly in the scope and application of those principles, with Wollstonecraft offering a corrective that expands the liberal project to include gender equality.

Liberal Thinkers: John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft - Worksheets, Questions and Revision