The Concept of the General Wll in the Writings of Rousseau, Sièyes, and Robespierre

Stephen Carruthers, Dublin Institute of Technology

This is a working paper and has not been peer-reviewed or published

Abstract

This paper outlines the views on the General Will of Rousseau, as set out in The Social Contract, and compares them to the views developed by Sieyès in Qu'est-ce que le Tiers état? and by Robespierre, most notably in his speeches delivered during the ‘Reign of Terror’ from the establishment of the Committee of Public Safety on 6 April 1793 to his death on 28 July 1794