"One of the great masterpieces of English radicalism With Common Sense, Thomas Paine helped inspire the American Declaration of Independence. Later, as France was swept up in the turmoil of 1789, he became an eyewitness, participant and leading British propagandist for the Revolutionary cause. The first part of The Right of Man, dedicated to George Washington, presents his trenchant response to unfolding events. Yet this is far more than a work of committed journalism. Paine brings together savage attacks on hereditary systems of government, an insider's account of the American Constitution and clear, practical proposals for an English 'welfare state'. Distinguished for both its arguments and its vigour of style, The Rights of Man set the agenda for many of today's key political debates."