Jean-Jacques’ Romantic Republicanism and the Republic of Geneva

Abstract

In the article the author is trying to investigate the true meaning the Republic of Geneva had for its citizen Jean-Jacques Rousseau as political theorist. His enthusiasm for it arose in 1754 and influenced strongly the process of his republican theory building in next years. However, from the very start Rousseau knew he was dealing with the ideal which has only partially rooted in actual reality of Geneva. The rest of the work was done by Rousseau’s fantasy about golden age and possibilities of its revival in contemporary Europe. That is why Rousseau’s republicanism is in the article treated as romantic: it developed complex dialectics of reality and fantasy directed towards new religious and political goal – the regeneration of the mankind or at least one tiny part of it leaving in small and tough republics.