The Social Contract · Chapter
II: The Constituent Principle in the Various Forms of Government explained
Rousseau analyzes the internal dynamics of government by distinguishing between the government and its principle, analogous to the earlier distinction between the State and the Sovereign.
What happens
Rousseau analyzes the internal dynamics of government by distinguishing between the government and its principle, analogous to the earlier distinction between the State and the Sovereign. He argues that the total force of government is fixed, so the more magistrates there are, the weaker the government becomes relative to the people. He identifies three wills within each magistrate—the individual will, the corporate will of the magistrates, and the general will of the sovereign—and notes that in the natural order the individual will is strongest, while the general will is weakest. A single ruler produces the most active government, while a government merged with the sovereign (all citizens as magistrates) is least active. The chapter concludes that the optimal government balances force and will, with the number of rulers decreasing as the state grows larger.
Themes in this chapter
Sovereignty and Government
Rousseau distinguishes between the government as an intermediate body and the Sovereign, analyzing how the composition of the magistracy affects the activity and rectitude of government.
The General Will
The chapter examines the three wills within magistrates, emphasizing that the general will should predominate over the corporate and individual wills for a well-ordered state.
Decline and Corruption of the State
Rousseau warns that when the corporate will or individual will overpowers the general will, the government becomes less effective and the state risks degeneration.
Characters to notice
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Author and narrator; presents the analysis of government's constituent principle and the three wills within magistrates.
Key passages
“The more numerous the magistrates, therefore, the weaker the government.”
As the number of officials increases, the government's ability to act effectively decreases.
Rousseau's fundamental principle linking the size of the magistracy to governmental strength.
“In a perfect act of legislation, the individual or particular will should be at zero; the corporate will belonging to the government should occupy a very subordinate position; and, consequently, the general or sovereign will should always predominate and should be the sole guide of all the rest.”
In an ideal legislative act, personal interests should be absent, the government's collective interest should be minimal, and the common interest of the people should always take precedence.
Rousseau's vision of the hierarchy of wills necessary for a just political order.
“Thus, the government, having always the same absolute force, will be at the lowest point of its relative force or activity.”
When the government is merged with the sovereign, its effective power is minimized because the corporate will aligns with the general will.
Explanation of why a government composed of all citizens is the least active.
“the art of the legislator is to know how to fix the point at which the force and the will of the government, which are always in inverse proportion, meet in the relation that is most to the advantage of the State.”
The legislator's skill lies in balancing the government's strength and its alignment with the general will to achieve the best outcome for the state.
Rousseau's concluding insight on the delicate equilibrium required in designing government.