Rousseau Social Contract

The French Revolution started in 1789 due to discontent among the masses of France that were overlooked and abused despite constituting the majority of the population. Following various reforms, like the introduction of excessive tax rates, people started questioning the authority of the king up to the point that they rejected his divine right to rule and believed that he could only rule through consent. The concept of Social Contract, which was introduced to the people of France by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1762, fostered this idea that prompted the people to take action to have more participation in matters of affairs of the state. This paper researches those concepts of Social Contract and investigates how it influenced the Revolution.
Thomas
Hobbes was the first modern philosopher to explain this concept in Leviathan (1651), who observed how a political state was created and legitimized, in context to the rights and duties of rulers and the population. Adopting an extremely conservative stance, Hobbes noted that man without such an arrangement lived in a State of Nature, where his life was ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.’ Fear of life unified the people, and once a contract was formed, they were subservient to the authority with the only assurance of right of their lives. This handed absolute power to the ruler, who could never be challenged even during times of oppression, except when he failed to protect the lives of his citizens.
Shortly afterward, John Locke came up with his notion of the Social Contract. Assuming a liberal stance, Locke observed in his Second Treatise of Government (1689) that since man’s nature was inherently good, he could be ruled by a common reason, rather than a common superior. The Law of Nature consisted of ‘life, health, liberty, or possessions,’ and those who transgressed that law ought to be punished. The appointed ruler had to ensure property rights of the citizens, and if he suppressed his people, they reserved the right to rebel.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau presented his version of the Social Contract in France in 1762. His version elaborated on various points of Hobbes’ but also had several stark differences. As noted in “Du Conrat Social; ou, Principes du droit politique,” Rousseau strongly believed that man was meant to be ultimately free; the themes of virtue and liberty stood as the foundations of Rousseau’s Contract. The General Will – consent of the population – held prime importance and every person was subject to it without choice. Accordingly, those willing not to follow it had to be forced to comply, since society always right, to ultimately enjoy true ‘freedom.’
Rousseau’s version of Social Contract stirred mixed feelings; the First Estate threatened him for publishing such a work that hinted at a shift of power from First Estate to the Third, but his concept gained widespread popularity among the masses.
‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen’ adopted his fundamental ideas, terminating the absolute monarchical rule of Louis XVI in France. Arguably, Rousseau’s Contract alluded to a classless, totalitarian rule where the population ruled the state, which could be observed during the Revolution. Rousseau states: “…there is no liberty where any man is above the laws … A free people obeys but it does not serve; it has magistrates but not masters; it obeys nothing but the laws, and thanks to the force of the laws, it does not obey men.” Similarly, the Declaration included some of the following clauses: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights” (Article 1), which were specified as the rights of liberty, private property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression (Article 2). All citizens were equal before the law and were to have the right to participate in legislation directly or indirectly (Article 6); no one was to be arrested without a judicial order (Article 7). Freedom of religion (Article 10) and freedom of speech (Article 11) were safeguarded within the bounds of public “order” and “law. Consequently, the notions of Estates and social status were abolished; the king’s rule lost its legitimacy; power transferred to the masses; and, equality was advocated. Emmanuel Sieyès, a disciple of Rousseau who played an important role in the Revolution, declared that there should be a single National Assembly comprised solely of representatives of the Third Estate. He further added, “there cannot be one will as long as we permit three orders,” as if echoing Rousseau. This suggested how Rousseau incited such a large group of people to rise against the absolutist rule of France, and how the
movement resonated his ideas present within Social Contract.
Therefore, the concept of Social Contract had a significant influence on the French Revolution. Rousseau’s ideas helped initiate the rebellion and proved to be the foundation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. A totalitarian rule was established, and power was transferred to the masses, as noted by Rousseau.