Written in Germany in 1935 just after the rise of Nazi power and first published in an expanded English edition in 1945, this book is the most complete treatment of the subject ever published in English and as such belongs on every library shelf and classroom devoted to the study of political theory. Within the four parts of the text. Rommen treats at length such perennial questions as the origin of the state, the nature of the common good, the contents of the natural law, the origins of political authority, sovereignty, the meaning for politics of Church, the nature and scope of international law, and the doctrine of war. While an invaluable and indispensible compendium summarizing a prestigious, and remarkably consistent, tradition regarding politics and state power, this book is also a instructive example of the manner in which a true political theorist exercises his craft--in humane yet critically honest conversation with those within and outside his tradition. Russell Hittinger's introduction renders the book yet more valuable by his illumination of the crucial historical context of the book's composition and by his explication of the book's permanent significance to political philosophy.