A force of principles will penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot... it will march to the horizon of the world and conquer.

Thomas Paine was the first international revolutionary. "Common Sense" (1776) was the most widely read pamphlet of the American Revolution, while "Rights of Man" (1791-2) was the most famous defense of the French Revolution, calling for revolution worldwide. He paid the price for his principles: he was banned in Britain, avoided execution in France, and was derided as an atheist and renegade upon his return to America.

Paine hated the unnatural inequalities promoted by hereditary and monarchical systems. He believed that government should be by and for the people and should be limited to protecting their natural rights. But he was not a liberal: from his commitment to natural rights, he created one of the first plans for a welfare state, combining a liberal order of political rights with egalitarian constraints. This collection brings together Paine's most powerful political writings from the American and French revolutions in the first fully annotated edition of these works.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years, Oxford World's Classics have been providing the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and more.