The General Will Theory Of Rousseau

Jean Jacques Rousseau is the18th century French enlightenment thinker, the age he lived in was that aspects of politics, economy, and culture were deep in crisis. The man living in the state of society was in a state of inequality, and restricted by the social shackles, they had no freedom. So, Rousseau advocated to establish a social contract nation which based on the general will. All of people’s common good is basis of the general will,the general will reflects the people’s common will, the general will aims at seeking for freedom, it is the sole criterion for the other will follow; the general will reflects the people own the state’s power,it’s also the foundation of people’s sovereignty. The people are both citizens and the sovereign, the people as a whole is sovereign, who have the right to participate in state power and exercise it,which reflects sovereignty in people, that is to say the people’s sovereignty. In fact, Rousseau established contract is to establish the ideal state of people’s sovereignty, citizens performing sovereignty is the embodiment of the general will, the law is externalization form of the general will and is the guarantee of people’s sovereignty. The government agencies are depended on sovereignty and service for sovereignty, the government’s administrative officers are the servants of the people, the sovereign will is the their will. State’s sovereignty and administrative power belongs to the people, the people have the right to exercise and supervision. Our country is people’s democratic dictatorship, the people’s benefits is above the other benefits, the people are the master of the country,owning all rights,which is consistent with Rousseau’s people’s sovereignty thought. In the period of social transformation in China,China needs to comprehensively deepen reform, one measure of the reforms’measures is that continually perfect and develop democratic politics construction, the essence of Rousseau’s the general will ideas and people’s sovereignty theory provide theoretical reference for our country hammering better at democratic political construction.