Montesquieu

= Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu =

Aim: Evan


Montesquieu's main aim was to explain how he thought governments could be preserved: by avoiding corruption from their leaders. Montesquieu writes in his book, The Spirit of the Laws, "In countries where [the people] have no share in the government, we often see them as much inflamed on account of an actor as ever they could be for the welfare of the state" (Montesquieu). Montesquieu believed that societal power in France should be separated among three classes: the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the general populace. He defended the existence of aristocracy, arguing that it was necessary to protect the state against the excesses of both an absolutist monarch and the anarchy of the people. Montesquieu also justified the existence of the constitutional monarch, claiming that it would be limited by concepts of honor and justice. Montesquieu's beliefs were explained in a biography of him, "Montesquieu produced his own analysis and assigned to each form of government an animating principle: the republic, based on virtue; the monarchy, based on honour; and despotism, based on fear" (Shackleton 1). Each of the forms of government that Montesquieu analyzed had a certain characteristic that he favored – different qualities that worked in conjunction to create what he considered to be an ideal government. Through his literary works, Montesquieu wanted to create a basis for the French public, and for future governments worldwide.

Works Cited:

Montesquieu, Charles De Secondat. The Spirit of the Laws. New York: Hafner Pub., 1949. Www.constitution.org. The Constitution Society, 12 Oct. 1998. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

Shackleton, Robert. "Montesquieu, Charles-Louis De Secondat, Baron De La Brède Et De." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

Audience: Alex
Montesquieu often references the rights and privileges of the individual. "Since every individual ought here to enjoy the same happiness and the same advantages" (Montesquieu). His use of the term "individual" draws attention to the fact that everyone has these rights. He frequently uses "individual" in order to make it extremely clear that these rights belong to each person inherently and do not have to be bestowed by any government. He desired to convince his audience of their inherent rights. He tends to explain himself thoroughly and avoids using overly complicated terms. This serves to better relate himself to his audience. He also uses satire. "Under this fictitious guise the write goes on to describe or rather satirize the French..." (Catholic Encyclopedia). By using a pseudonym he lets himself express his full beliefs to his audience without experiencing backlash. He harshly criticizes powerful groups and individuals, such as the King and the Church. He generally mocks any idea that he does not view as beneficial to the people.

"Though in later years he was to find a juster point of view, his witty criticisms in their lively setting of romance and sensualism, quite to the taste of the age..." (Catholic Encyclopedia). His use of wit allows him to criticize the powerful individuals to the regular citizens without coming across as crass. In addition, his wit keeps his writing active and makes the audience want to read it, increasing the spread of his ideals.

Works Cited:

"Charles-Louis De Secondat, Baron De Montesuieu." Catholic Encyclopedia: Barn De Montesquieu. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

Montesquieu, Charles De Secondat. The Spirit of the Laws. New York: Hafner Pub., 1949. Www.constitution.org. The Constitution Society, 12 Oct. 1998. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

Historical: Sean
In the time of Montesquieu the king and the established government where the same, the king was literally the judge, jury and hangman for everyone underneath him. Montesquieu, drawing from the ideas of Ancient Greece, revived the long dead idea of the separation of powers. He, like the ancient Greeks before him, realized that the government of the time had ultimate power and could do anything it wanted “for the good of the kingdom”. Montesquieu, being a man of philosophy and knowledge in a time of enlightenment, knew by attempting to tackle the problem of separation of powers one must grasp the concept, “…that to understand any regime one must consider both the legal institutions that define it and the main motives that support it” (Krause 1). He knew that the French government was based around the royalty getting richer and the poor scraping along. His idea, not necessarily a new idea but an idea that has been suppressed by the royals, was a dangerous one to say the least. Yet, he pursued it for the reason the he “ …believed it alone could enable a counter-power to check [ultimate] power, so that a maximum of liberty could be assured” (Richter 96). So, after combating the royals over his right to speak this way and him publishing his ideas secretly he finally was able to spread his ideas of fairness to the people. His ideas did not gain momentum in his time as the royalty was simply to controlling (Krause 1). They did not die however. His ideas lived on long enough for a group of men, now called the founding father, to draw from them and compose the most important legal document in the history of the United States based of Montesquieu ideas. This document was the Constitution and, though the Founding Fathers wrote it, it was Montesquieu ideas that they drew from in order to create such a powerful document; a document that has since influence the ideals and values of nations around the world.

Works Cited:

Krause, Sharon. "The Spirit of Separate Powers in Montesquieu." MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO, 1 May 2000. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

Richter, Melvyn. "Page 92." The Politcal Theory of Montesquieu. New York: Cambridge UP, 1977. 91-92. Print.

Cultural: Dalton
Visual:



The Persian Letters is an epistolary novel written based around two traveling Persians. A great portion of the letters describes the snaps of scenes from a civilized life, which the two men completely misinterpret. One example is when one character, Rica, says, " ...the Pope is a magician who can "make the king believe that three are only one, or else that the bread one eats is not bread, or that the wine one drinks is not wine, and a thousand other things of the same kind" (Letter 24). This is one of many examples and scenarios through which Montesquieu makes his point of cultural differences and the affects they have on outside members of society. The point of this novel is to explore, through Usbek, the other male character, how the different societies have different positives and negatives to each. This novel focuses specifically on government, political authority and the proper role of law in a society. It seems that Montesquieu's greatest contribution to modern society is the way his thoughts impacted the framers of the constitution of the United States. As Usbek suggests in The Persian Letters, the ideal government is one that is the most sustainable with the least amount of hassle.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Another of Montesquieu's cultural impacts comes from his attempt to understand the reason behind the laws that a society accepts. Montesquieu states that a societies accepted laws should be and normally are. Patterson states, "He believes that to live under a stable, non-despotic government that leaves its law-abiding citizens more or less free to live their lives is a great good, and that no such government should be lightly tampered with" (Patterson). This idea plays an important role in deciding when or how to reform a societies laws. When the laws fit the population of a society, then the peoples inside that society are less willing to change them because there is no cause to change them without a drastic change to the population's ideals.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Sources:

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Montesquieu, Charles De Secondat. The Persian Letters: With Introduction and Notes, Now Completely Done into English, from the Original by Montesquieu, in One Volume. London: Printed for Subscribers Only, 1901. Print.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Patterson, Phills "Baron De Montesquieu, Charles-Louis De Secondat." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.