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Geneva’s Small Council condemns Émile and Du contrat social and has the books burned

In June 1762 Geneva condemned both Émile and Du contrat social and burned copies, a completed civic-police act in the city whose citizenship he claimed. In the causal graph this event weakens Democratic Resilience, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

In June 1762 Geneva condemned both Émile and Du contrat social and burned copies, a completed civic-police act in the city whose citizenship he claimed. He did not sit on the Small Council.

Context

A republic can burn books. Later Maison Rousseau museums are another instrument.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is not the sole author of every later object, law, or museum label that uses the name. Shared work with courts, excavators, printers, spouses, officials, and later states does not erase a documented role, and it does not make an ancient person the signer of a twentieth-century statute.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.32 · verified

    Named author, patient of police, or heading of later reception. Printers, parlements, and later states share the instrument.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactGeneva’s Small Council condemns Émile and Du contrat social and has the books burned
    2. weakensDriverDemocratic Resilience
    3. strengthensIndicators (3)Having a say in government
    Worsening path

    impact weight 0.55 · Effect from 19 June 1762 · verified

    • Having a say in government

      via Democratic Resilience

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.39 (weight 0.55 × strength 0.7)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Clean elections index

      via Democratic Resilience

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.25 (weight 0.55 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      0.53 score from 0 to 1 · 0.34 below the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      125 readings, 1900–2024: rose from 0.17 score from 0 to 1 to 0.53 score from 0 to 1.

      Above normal = better

    • WJP Rule of Law Index (global)

      via Democratic Resilience

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.25 (weight 0.55 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      0.55 index score (0-1) · 0.26 below the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      Above normal = better

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Geneva Library — Rousseau holdings and Institut contextBibliothèque de Genève · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Jean-Jacques RousseauStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · High credibility · verified

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorJean-Jacques Rousseau
  2. contributed toFactGeneva’s Small Council condemns Émile and Du contrat social and has the books burned
  3. weakensDriverDemocratic Resilience
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Geneva’s Small Council condemns Émile and Du contrat social and has the books burned. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/jjr-geneva-burn-1762

https://factrail.ai/facts/jjr-geneva-burn-1762

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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