The concept of the popular sovereignity from the historical perspective

Abstract

The concept of the state’s sovereignty represents the basic concept of the entire legal philosophy, which was developed since Antiquity and triumphed during the Enlightenment. The concept of popular sovereignty is the dominant doctrine in the legal philosophy of the 17th and 18th centuries. The main idea of this doctrine was focused on positioning the people as the main holder of state power, as a source of the supreme will. Actually, the popular sovereignty represents the basis of State power. The people are the sole possessor of supreme power, which symbolize the basis of modern constitutionalism. This article constitutes a study of the specific aspects of the concept of popular sovereignty in the history of ideas. The doctrinal and practical interest in the concept of popular sovereignty is based on the political and legal dimension of it within the framework of State-building. In this study, we would like to determine the role of the concept of popular sovereignty in the current constitutional framework, from the philosophic point of view.