Should All Members of Society Play a Role in the Government?

1057 Words5 Pages
For centuries, certain classes in society have been restricted from participating in government-related activities such as taxes, voting, education, military, jury duty, etc. Many past societies have debated on whether or not all members of society should play a role in government, including the times of the French Revolution and Absolutism. All members of society should play a role in government. Most past societies viewed that the role of citizens in government affairs is foolish and unnecessary. The French Revolution had an assembly of all the estates of France called the Estates General, where the 3 Estates were able to vote separately; however each estate only had one third of the vote. The problem with this voting practice was that 95% of the nation who made up the third estate could be easily outvoted by 5% of the population, the clergy and nobles, who always seemed to agree with one another. So even though every citizen (not including women) qualified as a voting member in society, those in the Third Estate really had no say in the government and endured many problems due to this unfair voting practice. “Each man should accept a ‘social contract’ or agreement in which he places himself and all of his power under ‘the supreme direction of the general will of all. Each man, in giving himself to all, gives himself to nobody; and as there is no associate over whom he does not acquire the same right as he yields others over himself…” (Jean-Jacques Rousseau) According to the excerpt from the Social Contract, the government should make laws that please the majority or general will, and to create laws that man will obey yet still have the same rights and freedom as before the law was made. The role of citizens in government is much different today than it was in previous civilizations. During the French Revolution, the countries were ruled by absolutism, the
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