Ideal Government and the Role of the State

Thoreau begins Civil Disobedience by contemplating the best form of government, suggesting that the most effective government is one that does not govern at all. He urges readers to question the purpose of a permanent government like that of the U.S., likening it to a standing army that serves the interests of a few wealthy individuals rather than the common good. He criticizes the American government for worsening problems and failing to manage the country properly, crediting the American people—not the government—with the nation's successes.