Which Enlightenment-era thinker is closely associated with the social contract and popular sovereignty?

• A. Hobbes
• B. Locke
• C. Rousseau
• D. Montesquieu

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is how political authority is justified through the social contract and popular sovereignty. Rousseau argued that legitimate government arises from the people and is bound by the general will—the collective will of all citizens. Sovereignty, in his view, belongs to the body of the people, not to a monarch or a ruling minority, and laws are legitimate only when they reflect that general will. This ties the social contract directly to popular sovereignty, emphasizing direct participation of citizens in shaping law and policy.

Hobbes envisions an absolute sovereign to avoid chaos, Locke emphasizes protecting natural rights with limited government, and Montesquieu stresses separating powers to prevent tyranny. While these ideas are influential, Rousseau is the thinker most closely associated with both the social contract and the idea that sovereignty resides in the people.