“The Good of the people must be the great purpose of government. By the laws of nature and of reason, the governors are invested with power to that end. And the greatest good of the people is liberty. It is to the state what health is to the individual.” Denis Diderot and Jean d’Alembert, French philosophes, “Government”, article in the Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts, published between 1751 and 1772

a) Identify the historical situation reflected in the passage.

b) Explain one way in which the authors’ point of view shaped their definition of government.

c) Explain one historical development illustrated by the passage.