A Research On Sieyès' Theory Of Sovereignty

In the history of the doctrine of sovereignty,there are many thinkers with profound theory and far-sightedness who are well-known all over the world.Compared with his predecessors Bodin,Hobbes and Rousseau,Sieyès' theory of sovereignty is far less theoretical.However,whether Bodin and Hobbes who supports the sovereignty of the monarchy or Locke and Rousseau who advocate the sovereignty of the people,their theory of sovereignty only stays at the ideological level and is only a pure theoretical tool to defend some claims.It is more a value judgment,that is,a diagnosis of the legitimacy of the government.Under the historical background of the French Revolution,the dual identities of political theorists and revolutionary actors determine that Sieyès' theory of sovereignty is not only a purely speculative discussion,but also more importantly how to achieve in the real world.As a faithful successor to the theory of social contract,Sieyès not only proves that the source of legitimacy of political authority is the nation by theory of social contract,but also transforms the abstract theory of popular sovereignty into the realistic theory of national sovereignty through the implementation of the principle of labor,which provides a reliable realistic path for the bourgeoisie to enter the political arena.Moreover,through the theory of representative system,constitutional power and king in name only,Sieyès broke the concept of absolute sovereignty created by Hobbes and Rousseau,showing that Sieyès has a deeper understanding of the nature of human existence as freedom and the ability to expand freedom.This paper attempts to sort out Sieyès' theory of national sovereignty by following the logic of Political philosophy advances to practical and clarify some prejudices.This paper consists of three parts: Introduction,Text and Conclusion.The Introduction mainly combs the relevant research on Sieyès' political thought at home and abroad,and introduces the reasons for selecting the topic.The Conclusion mainly expounds Sieyès' contribution and influence.The text is divided into four parts:Part ?: a general outline of Sieyès' life and the background of his sovereignty theory.Young Sieyès contacted many works of Enlightenment thinkers and laid a foundation for his theory of national sovereignty based on social contract.The French Revolution,which broke out in 1789,gave Sieyes a chance to enter the political arena.On the eve of the revolution,he criticized absolute monarchy and feudal aristocracy and advocated the revolutionary theory of national sovereignty;during Jacobin's reign,he hung in the suburbs of Paris,silently thinking about the theoretical defects of Jacobinism;during the period of the Governing by Directoire,he began to criticize the infinite theory of national sovereignty for better safeguarding individual freedom.It can be said that Sieyès' s life condensed the vicissitudes of the Great Revolution and also presented the complexity of the revolutionary principles.Part ?: the discussion of sovereignty ownership.From the social contract,Sieyès,borrowing Rousseau's theory of general will,argues that sovereignty should belong to the nation.From the perspective of law,statistics and labor theory,he expounded that the Third Estate is the nation,and searched for the aggregate of undertaking the mission for the revolution.But the national concept created by Sieyès through the principle of labor is deeply contradictory,which leads to the repeated revolutionary cycle to a certain extent.The third part is about the means of implementing sovereignty.From the point of view of the means to realize sovereignty,representative system is the only means to implementing national sovereignty.Firstly,Sieyès refutes the idea that sovereignty cannot be represented.He holds that the representative system is the extension of the theory of division of labor in the political field and a more advanced political system which is more in line with the freedom of modern people.Secondly,Sieyès believes that "general will" is the will of the majority.It is not a priori existence,but a result of rational consultation.The best decisions in the public interest can be made only through the free consideration of national representatives.Sieyes,through the interpretation of Rousseau's concept of "general will",eased the contradiction between representative system and sovereignty to a certain extent.Part ?: From the scope of sovereignty,Sieyes advocates a limited idea of national sovereignty.Sieyes' s social contract theory implies the viewpoint of state functionalism.Individual rights are the purpose of uniting for the community and the boundary of sovereignty.In the construction of the real political order,Sieyès guarantees individual freedom through constitutional power,the coordinated decentralization system,the constitutional jury and the construction of the central government.