Who wrote "The Social Contract?"

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is the author of "The Social Contract." The book was published in 1762 in France. It is a political, social and philosophical work that greatly influenced the French Revolution.

In "The Social Contract," Rousseau argues that people are supreme and that kings do not have the divine right to rule. He further states that only the people, not monarchs, have the right to legislate. His philosophy led to social and political reforms in France and other European countries. Rousseau championed the cause of the poor and wrote that laws can only be binding if they are supported by the will of the governed.