This essay focuses on Kant’s concept of domination, analysing the tension between law and nature, freedom and happiness, the criticism about the right of resistance and the protection of subjective rights. The paper is based on an unusual premise: Kant’s political and legal writings have a deep connection with Kant’s essays on philosophy of history. In this perspective, it recognizes an inner dynamic of human agency and social coexistence which can be defined as paradoxical only in its appearance.