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The Citizen’s Role in Sovereignty

The Social Contract

This flow traces the citizen’s changing position from participant in the founding compact to active voter whose public duty can erode into private indifference.

increasingupBearing stren­gth in each eventdowndecreasing
Consent at FoundationConsent at Foundation from "The Social Contract". Consent at Foundation A Voluntary Union The social compact requires unanimity because political association begins as a voluntary act.
Consent at Foundation A Voluntary Union The social compact requires unanimity because political association begins as a voluntary act. No one is made a citizen by another’s unilateral decision. The Outsider’s Position Those who dissent are not bound by the founding agreement. Rousseau distinguishes their position from that of people who later live under an established free State.
Majority Rule AcceptedMajority Rule Accepted from "The Social Contract". Majority Rule Accepted A Consequence of Agreement After the founding compact, majority decisions bind citizens because the original agreement established a…
Majority Rule Accepted A Consequence of Agreement After the founding compact, majority decisions bind citizens because the original agreement established a common procedure. Consent is not required anew for every law. Freedom Reinterpreted A losing voter remains free, Rousseau argues, if the result expresses the General Will rather than merely another person’s private will.
Citizen as VoterCitizen as Voter from "The Social Contract". Citizen as Voter Public Judgment The citizen’s vote should answer whether a proposal serves the common will.
Citizen as Voter Public Judgment The citizen’s vote should answer whether a proposal serves the common will. Voting is a civic judgment, not simply a contest of personal advantages. Conditions Matter That purpose depends on informed deliberation and resistance to factions. When those conditions fail, the vote can record private interests instead of common freedom.
Civic Participation WeakensCivic Participation Weakens from "The Social Contract". Civic Participation Weakens Service Delegated Rousseau associates political decline with citizens who pay others to fight and appoint deputies to deliberate in…
Civic Participation Weakens Service Delegated Rousseau associates political decline with citizens who pay others to fight and appoint deputies to deliberate in their place. Public duty recedes from ordinary life. Private Life Expands When citizens ask what public affairs matter to them, the State’s common purpose is already in danger. Convenience can quietly become dependence.
Sovereign Assemblies Restore AgencySovereign Assemblies Restore Agency from "The Social Contract". Sovereign Assemblies Restore Agency Recurring Public Authority Rousseau proposes regular assemblies so citizens can preserve the social compact and review the…
Sovereign Assemblies Restore Agency Recurring Public Authority Rousseau proposes regular assemblies so citizens can preserve the social compact and review the form of government and its administrators. A Political Test Their participation is not symbolic: the people must remain capable of acting as Sovereign. The proposal answers the drift from active citizenship toward passive subjects.
Book IV, Chapter II, on the making of the social compact
Book IV, Chapter II, after the compact is established
Book IV, Chapters I–II, at the popular assembly
Book III, Chapter XV, when citizens prefer deputies and money
Book III, Chapters XII–XVIII, at the proposed periodic assemblies