PENGUIN CLASSICS : RIGHTS OF MAN PB B FORMAT – THOMAS PAINE-ERIC FONER-HENRY COLLINS

One of the great classics on democracy, Rights of Man was published in England in 1791 as a vindication of the French Revolution and a critique of the British system of government. In direct, forceful prose, Paine defends popular rights, national independence, revolutionary war, and economic growth – all considered dangerous and even seditious issues. In his introduction Eric Foner presents an overview of Paine s career as political theorist and pamphleteer, and supplies essential background material to Rights of Man. He discusses how Paine created a language of modern politics that brought important issues to the common man and the working classes and assesses the debt owed to Paine by the American and British radical traditions.