In order then that the social compact may not be an empty formula,it tacitly includes the undertaking,which alone can give force to the rest,that whoever refuses to obey the general will shall be compelled to do so by the whole body.This means nothing less than that he will be forced to be free;for this is the condition which,by giving each citizen to his country,secures him against all personal dependence. In this lies the key to the working of the political machine; this alone legitimizes civil undertakings,which, without it,would be absurd,tyrannical,and liable to the most frightful abuses.