The Great Books

The Social Contract

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau · 1762

G. D. H. Cole's translation, 1913. 46 parts, about 40,801 words, 3 hours of reading. Source edition.

The reading guide →

Contents

  1. Book I, I: Subject of the First Book1 passage · 834 words
  2. Book I, III: The Right of the Strongest353 words
  3. Book I, IV: Slavery1,501 words
  4. Book I, V: That We Must Always Go Back to a First Convention297 words
  5. Book I, VI: The Social Compact1 passage · 720 words
  6. Book I, VII: The Sovereign1 passage · 760 words
  7. Book I, VIII: The Civil State357 words
  8. Book I, IX: Real Property985 words
  9. Book II, I: That Sovereignty Is Inalienable392 words
  10. Book II, II: That Sovereignty Is Indivisible631 words
  11. Book II, III: Whether the General Will Is Fallible411 words
  12. Book II, IV: The Limits of the Sovereign Power1,334 words
  13. Book II, V: The Right of Life and Death761 words
  14. Book II, VI: Law1,105 words
  15. Book II, VII: The Legislator1,300 words
  16. Book II, VIII: The People647 words
  17. Book II, IX: The People (Continued)817 words
  18. Book II, X: The People (Continued)945 words
  19. Book II, XI: The Various Systems of Legislation645 words
  20. Book II, XII: The Division of the Laws476 words
  21. Book III, I: Government in General1,889 words
  22. Book III, II: The Constituent Principle in the Various Forms of Government935 words
  23. Book III, III: The Division of Governments419 words
  24. Book III, IV: Democracy637 words
  25. Book III, V: Aristocracy648 words
  26. Book III, VI: Monarchy1,960 words
  27. Book III, VII: Mixed Governments339 words
  28. Book III, VIII: That All Forms of Government Do Not Suit All Countries1,761 words
  29. Book III, IX: The Marks of a Good Government326 words
  30. Book III, X: The Abuse of Government and Its Tendency to Degenerate612 words
  31. Book III, XI: The Death of the Body Politic434 words
  32. Book III, XII: How the Sovereign Authority Maintains Itself337 words
  33. Book III, XIII: The Same (Continued)516 words
  34. Book III, XIV: The Same (Continued)234 words
  35. Book III, XV: Deputies or Representatives1 passage · 1,233 words
  36. Book III, XVI: That the Institution of Government Is Not a Contract453 words
  37. Book III, XVII: The Institution of Government386 words
  38. Book III, XVIII: How to Check the Usurpations of Government667 words
  39. Book IV, I: That the General Will Is Indestructible749 words
  40. Book IV, II: Voting968 words
  41. Book IV, III: Elections678 words
  42. Book IV, IV: The Roman Comitia3,520 words
  43. Book IV, V: The Tribunate674 words
  44. Book IV, VI: The Dictatorship1,059 words
  45. Book IV, VII: The Censorship571 words
  46. Book IV, VIII: Civil Religion1 passage · 3,525 words