How did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen use Rousseau’s idea of the general will?

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 incorporated Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s concept of the general will primarily by establishing it as the foundational source of law.1

Specifically, Article 6 of the Declaration defines law as the expression of the general will. This reflects Rousseau’s political philosophy, which posits that legitimate authority and laws are derived from the collective will of the citizens rather than the arbitrary power of a monarch. By adopting this principle, the Declaration signaled a shift toward popular sovereignty, asserting that all citizens have the right to participate in the formation of legislation, either directly or through representatives.12

In this framework, the state is viewed as a representative of the general will, ensuring that government remains legitimate only when it acts in accordance with the collective interest of the people. This integration served as a direct challenge to the pre-Revolutionary monarchical regime, replacing a system of individual privilege with a structure rooted in the shared political identity of the citizenry.12