How did Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ideas about equal rights influence revolutionaries?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s political philosophy profoundly influenced the leaders and ideological direction of the French Revolution. His ideas regarding liberty and equality provided a framework for challenging the divine right of kings and the systemic inequalities of the ancien régime.12

Central to his influence was the concept of the general will, which posits that legitimate authority resides in the collective interest of the people rather than in a monarch or specific social group. This principle was explicitly incorporated into the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which defined law as the expression of the general will and asserted that all citizens are equal before the law.345

Revolutionaries, particularly those in the radical phase such as Maximilien Robespierre, viewed Rousseau as an advocate for democracy and popular sovereignty. While scholars have debated whether his work supports liberal or authoritarian interpretations, his insistence that individuals are born free and should participate in the creation of laws became a cornerstone for those seeking to establish a republic based on universal rights.2415