In 1964, T. M. Knox and Z. A. Pelczynski published their well-known edition of what they called Hegel's ‘minor’ political writings. They claimed that these writings were ‘a most valuable supplement’ to Hegel's major political work, the Philosophy of Right (henceforth PR). In addition, they saw the minor works as in some ways providing ‘a clearer insight into Hegel's basic political ideas’ than PR, a work which, they noted, was filled with metaphysical arguments, esoteric vocabulary, and obscurities associated with Hegel's life-long commitment to the ideals of speculative philosophy. By contrast, the minor writings were ‘relatively free’ from the jargon of metaphysics and addressed in plain language ‘topical political issues’ of the day. The down-to-earth quality of these works, in turn, prompted Knox and Pelczynski to present them as journalistic pieces that showcased Hegel's talents as a ‘publicist’. If, in that capacity, Hegel could be seen struggling with practical rather than metaphysical problems, then so much the better for appreciating his realistic political outlook.

On a deeper level, though, Knox and Pelczynski wished to use the writings in their edition to introduce students to a more ‘liberal’ Hegel, one whose ideas were more in line with the mainstream of western political thinking. This Hegel, they argued, while certainly not absent from PR, is clearly on display in the minor political writings, for in these, he reveals himself as a supporter of constitutional government and as a critic of absolutism, autocracy, and reaction.