Instead, political power becomes legitimate by the formation of contracts built between the members of society. ... In a society run by force, what Rousseau terms as "slavery," there is no room for freedom. ... All governments are really mixed in character; and what we call a democracy is only a more or less democratic government. ... The government's role is merely to carry out the decrees, or acts of will, of the Sovereign people. ... This may be seen in his treatment of law as a whole, in which he defines laws as "acts of the general will," and, agreeing with Montesquieu in making law ...

• Word Count: 7115
• Approx Pages: 28
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Instead, political power becomes legitimate by the formation of contracts built between the members of society. ... In a society run by force, what Rousseau terms as "slavery," there is no room for freedom. ... All governments are really mixed in character; and what we call a democracy is only a more or less democratic government. ... The government's role is merely to carry out the decrees, or acts of will, of the Sovereign people. ... This may be seen in his treatment of law as a whole, in which he defines laws as "acts of the general will," and, agreeing with Montesquieu in making law ...

• Word Count: 7114
• Approx Pages: 28
• Grade Level: Undergraduate