of the existing voivodships. In recommending the creation of smaller states, Rousseau recognizes the imminent First Partition with the words: "If you wish to reform your government, then, begin by narrowing your frontiers, though perhaps your neighbors intend to do that for you." Within Rousseau's oeuvre While The Social Contract is considered Rousseau's most important political commentary, his attempts in The Government of Poland to apply the principles described The Social Contract to concrete problems elucidate the major work. Besides The Government of Poland, the only other work in which he attempts this is the Constitutional Project for Corsica (see also Corsican Constitution), a work which is only fragmentary. Thus, The Government of Poland provides perhaps our best perspective on how Rousseau believed his overarching principles could be applied to realistic situations. As Rousseau's last political work, the essay can also be viewed as the final culmination of his political thought. Rousseau's work influenced the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, the world's second modern codified constitution. References Further reading Richard Fralin. Rousseau and Representation. New York: Columbia University Press, 1978. Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Government of Poland. Trans. Willmoore Kendall. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1985. Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Social Contract and Discourses. Trans. G.D.H. Cole. London: Everyman, 1993. Maurice Cranston, The Solitary Self: Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Exile and Adversity, University of Chicago Press, 1997, , Print p.177 and further External links English translation of the full text 1772 books 18th-century essays Government of Poland 1772 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Works by Jean-Jacques Rousseau