The Social Contract (tr. Cole)

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

For other versions of this work, see The Social Contract.

CONTENTS

		PAGE
	introduction by G. D. H. Cole	v
THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
	FOREWORD	2
BOOK I
	In which it is inquired why man passes from the state of nature to the state of society and what are the essential conditions of the compact.
CHAP.
I.	Subject of the first Book	3
II.	The first Societies	4
III.	The Right of the Strongest	6
IV.	Slavery	7
V.	That we must always go back to a first Convention	10
VI.	The Social Compact	11
VII.	The Sovereign	13
VIII.	The Civil State	15
IX.	Real Property	16
BOOK II
	Which treats of legislation.
I.	That Sovereignty is inalienable	20
II.	Thar Sovereignty is indivisible	21
III.	Whether the general Will is fallible	22
IV.	The Limits of the Sovereign Power	24
V.	The Right of Life and Death	27
VI.	Law	29
VII.	The Legislator	32
VIII.	The People	35
IX.	The People (cont.)	37
X.	The People (cont.)	39
XI.	The various Systems of Legislation	42
XII.	The Division of the Laws	44

BOOK III
	Which treats of political laws, that is to say, of the form of government.
I.	Government in General	46
II.	The constituent Principle in the various Forms of Government	51
III.	The Division of Governments	53
IV.	Democracy	54
V.	Aristocracy	56
VI.	Monarchy	58
VII.	Mixed Governments	63
VIII.	That all Forms of Government do not suit all Countries	64
IX.	The Marks of a good Government	69
X.	The Abuse of Government and its Tendency to Degenerate	70
XI.	The Death of the Body Politic	73
XII.	How the Sovereign Authority maintains itself	74
XIII.	How the Sovereign Authority maintains itself (cont.)	75
XIV.	How the Sovereign Authority maintains itself (cont.)	76
XV.	Deputies or Representatives	77
XVI.	That the Institution of Government is not a Contract	80
XVII.	The Institution of Government	81
XVIII.	How to check the Usurpations of Government	83
BOOK IV
	Which treats further of political laws and sets forth the means of strengthening the constitution of the State.
I.	That the general Will is indestructible	85
II.	Voting	87
III.	Elections	89
IV.	The Roman Comitia	91
V.	The Tribunate	100
VI.	The Dictatorship	102
VII.	The Censorship	104
VIII.	Civil Religion	106
IX.	Conclusion	116