Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern democratic and republican governments. He was also a major influence on liberal political philosophers such as John Stuart Mill.
Rousseau’s ideas about freedom, equality and democracy influenced the French Revolution and later revolutions in Europe. He believed that people should be free to do whatever they want to do if it doesn’t hurt others. However, he thought that democracy was a bad way of doing things because the majority would always be led by the rich who had more power than everyone else.
Philosopher’s concept of The General Will was important for revolutionaries in France who wanted to overthrow their king and set up a republic instead. They thought that all people should be treated equally and given equal rights under law regardless of whether they were rich or poor, male or female etc. They believed in an ideal society where everyone would be happy and no one would be better off than anyone else.
Actually, Rousseau believed in strong government because he thought people were naturally bad but needed rules to make them behave properly. He believed that government should protect citizens from themselves – especially when it came to protecting them from each other (e.g., by preventing crime).
