SOCIAL CONTRACT IN JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU – IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY

SOCIAL CONTRACT IN JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU – IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY

Title  …        …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  i

Certification …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  … ii

Dedication    …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …iii

Acknowledgment     …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  … … iv

Table of Contents     …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …v

CHAPTER ONE

• General Introduction. …  …  …  …   …  …  …  …  …  …  … 1
• Statement of Problem. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  6
• Purpose of Study. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  8
• Scope of Study. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  9
• … …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  9
• Division of Work. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  9

CHAPTER TWO

• Rousseau on Social Contract. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  10
  • Man in the state of Nature. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  … …  11
  • The Social Contract. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  15
  • General will and will of all. …  …  …  … …  …  …  …  …  20
  • Civil State and Law. …  …  …  … …  …  …  …  …  …  …  ..21
  • Government and Types of Government. …  …  …  …  …  …  23

CHAPTER THREE

• Nigerian Democracy in Practice. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …25
• Review of Nigerian Democratic trials. … …  …  …  …  …  …25
  • The first Republic. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …26
  • The second Republic. …  …  …  … …  …  …  …  …  …  …29
  • The Third Republic. …  …  …  … …  …  …  …  …  …  …33

CHAPTER FOUR

• Rousseau’s Social Contract and Nigerian Democracy. …  …  …41
• General Analysis. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …   …  …  …  45
• Deductions for Nigerian Democracy via Rousseau’s

Social Contract … … … … … … … … …   … … … … … …    47

CHAPTER FIVE

• Critical Evaluation. …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  54
• …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  59

Bibliography              …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  60

CHAPTER ONE

• GENERAL INTRODUCTION

It is in the nature of man as a social being to live together in a community. But, to achieve his utmost fulfilment, man desires to live in peace and harmony with his environment, persons and things alike. Hence, every nation continues to search for a workable system that would permit her citizens to live together in peace as much as possible. It is this quest by man for harmonious living that Rousseau addressed in his Social Contract, which he also refers to as: ‘the Principles of political right;’ a living reality which must be found present wherever there is a legitimate government.  This living reality according to S.E. Stumpf, is the fundamental principle underlying a political association; this principle helps to overcome the lawlessness of absolute licence and assures liberty, because people willingly adjust their conduct to harmonise with the legitimate freedom of others.1

By this Rousseau seems set to present a prototype for all legitimate governments, which when conformed to, the sky would be the limit of the political freedom, liberty, equality and rule of law to be witnessed therein.  And even Rousseau emphasised that no demarcation should exist between morality and politics. On this statement is hinged the belief that Rousseau inspired the French revolution of 1789.

However, the theory of social contract is so important in social and political philosophy that it did not start from Rousseau. Political philosophers like Plato, Hobbes and Locke had used it to situate the origin of the civil society.

SOCIAL CONTRACT IN JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU – IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY