Inalienable & Indivisible Sovereignty: Rousseau’s Defense of the People’s Power Ep.4 Part 3/5

In this third part of The Social Contract, Rousseau introduces one of the most revolutionary and uncompromising ideas in all of political philosophy: sovereignty is inalienable and indivisible.

Unlike Hobbes, who gave sovereignty to the ruler, or Locke, who allowed representation through parliament, Rousseau insists: The people cannot give away their power, not to kings, not to assemblies, not even to representatives.

Sovereignty belongs to the people as a whole, and it can only be exercised directly, through the general will. It cannot be transferred, divided, or represented. Any government that claims to act “on behalf” of the people is already corrupt.

This part explores:
• Why Rousseau rejected representation as political enslavement.
• His critique of the English system: “The people think they are free, but they are free only during elections.”
• The logic of indivisible power — and its modern implications for democracy and authoritarianism alike.

Rousseau’s principle changed everything: It armed revolutions with the claim of popular sovereignty, and exposed democracy’s greatest danger when that claim is abused.

🎧 Watch the full playlist: The Social Contract:How Rousseau Reimagined the People as Sovereign and Invented Modern Democracy
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