Book 2, Part 1 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 1, "That Sovereignty is Inalienable"

The author begins the examination of sovereignty in this book with the assertion that only the general will of a community of individuals (the Sovereign Will) can direct the state towards decisions defining the common good of that community. He reiterates his previously stated point that only rarely will the Sovereign Will be in agreement with the private will, "for the private will is inclined ... to partiality, and the general will to impartiality." He goes on to suggest that the Sovereign Will is not an inflexible or unchanging entity; it is, on the contrary, subject to constant fluctuation and re-definition. He reiterates another point: that unless the will of leaders of Government is truly reflective of the Sovereign Will, then the Body Politic is destroyed.

Chapter 2, "That Sovereignty is Indivisible"

The first part of...