The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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This full text of The Social Contract has entered the public domain in the UK and is now freely available. It may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted without any restrictions. We are providing it for free distribution and use by individuals for non-commercial purposes. Please note that the copyright status in other countries may vary, so it is advisable to check the copyright laws of your specific jurisdiction before reproducing, distributing, or transmitting the text.
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First published: 1762
Number of Words: 45,600
Avg. Time to Read: 3 - 4 hours
Translator: G.D.H Cole
Description:
Rousseau developed the idea of the social contract in his 1762 work The Social Contract, or Principles of Political Right. He argued that the legitimacy of governments depends on the consent of the people it governs. Under the state of nature, humans are free and equal. But to enjoy the benefits of political society, individuals consent to give up some of their natural freedom and submit to the authority of the general will of the community. This general will aims to equally protect each citizen’s life, liberty, and property.
The social contract establishes the principles of popular sovereignty and consent of the governed. For Rousseau, the sovereign power resides with the people as a whole, not any single ruler or hereditary class. The people also have the right to depose any government that fails to uphold its end of the social contract. By joining together into a community, individuals gain civil rights and liberties while also submitting to laws aimed at benefitting society as a whole.
Rousseau believed the social contract creates a civic religion where citizens relinquish their personal interests and wills to obey the general will. This helps bind citizens together in a cohesive republic guided by principles of equality, freedom, and justice for all. The government acts as the agent of the people’s will but must also respect the inalienable rights of individuals.
Rousseau’s ideas greatly influenced political thought during the French Revolution and democratic nationalist movements. His conception of popular sovereignty and the social contract established key principles of social justice, consent of the governed, and the right to revolt against tyrannical rule. It helped shape the development of modern democratic theory and republican forms of government.
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