All books

Wishlist

Queued for a future sitting or vote.

The Social Contract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Published1762
Pages228
Open Library4.2 / 5
Club average—

Excerpt

The Social Contract, originally published as On the Social Contract; or, Principles of Political Right (French: Du contrat social; ou, Principes du droit politique), is a 1762 French-language book by the Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The book theorizes about the best way to establish a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society, which Rousseau had already identified in his Discourse on Inequality (1755).

The Social Contract helped inspire political reforms or revolutions in Europe, especially in France. The Social Contract argued against the idea that monarchs were divinely empowered to legislate. Rousseau asserts that only the people, who are sovereign, have that all-powerful right. (Source: Wikipedia)

Literary origin

Country whose literature this title belongs to, based on author tradition —not necessarily where the story is set.

Topics from Open Library

Added to BBRC

Oct 15, 2026, 10:36 PM

Catalog slug

the_social_contract

Search the club

Find books, members, posts, and more across BBRC