Why did social-contract theories become especially influential in the 17th and 18th centuries?

Social-contract theories gained significant influence during the 17th and 18th centuries primarily because they provided a new, secular framework for political legitimacy and order following the decline of divinely sanctioned authority.1

The Reformation fractured the traditional religious basis for governance, creating an urgent need for a new foundation for loyalty and obedience. In this context, thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau utilized the concept of a social contract to justify political authority through individual reason and consent rather than divine right.12

This shift was driven by several factors:
* Secularization: As the doctrine of the divine right of kings lost credibility, theorists sought to explain the state as a human creation designed to serve the interests of its citizens.13
* Intellectual Climate: The era was marked by the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, which emphasized rationalism and the systematic study of nature and society.45
* Political Demand: Revolutionary movements and the rise of liberalism created a demand for theories that could justify or limit state power, protecting individual rights against absolutism.26