The phrase “general will,” as influenced by Rousseau’s ideas, appears in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, composed in 1789 during the French Revolution. According to Rousseau, the “general will” represents the collective will of the people, aiming for the common good or general interest of society, rather than the specific desires of individuals or factions. This idea became foundational to his vision of a democratic society where the legitimacy of laws and political authority is derived from the collective will of all citizens.