Leviathan

This is a political philosophy book written by Thomas Hobbes. It was published in 1651. This classic describes the life of people living in a “state of nature” as childish, nasty and brutish.
The basic concept put forward in this book is that humankind would choose peace and social order over anarchy, provided there exists an authority able to keep them under control.

Thomas Hobbes wrote that a government or sovereign has unlimited powers over its citizens because they entered into it freely; therefore they must obey it even if its decrees seem absurd or unjustified. The only exception is when these commands clash with natural law. The sovereign is, in fact, obliged to comply with natural law.

The sovereign must then ensure that each man can live peacefully without danger from his neighbours; it is therefore for the sovereign alone to guarantee this peace – even at the cost of rebellion against him -- and he does not need specific approval from any other person or group in order to do this. In addition, each citizen is obliged to assist the sovereign in protecting other citizens and ensure their maximum enjoyment of natural rights.