SC+2015+Montesquieu

Aim by Austin Henry Montesquieu, who was one of the great philosophers during the Enlightenment period, is known for his views on systems of government. His two most popular works were the Persian Letters and the Spirit of Laws. The Spirit of Laws is more directly related to governmental institutions than the Persian Letters were, but they both allowed him to express his philosophies about legislation. He believed separation of power of the executive, legislative, and judicial branch was the key to building a solid system of government with the least amount of flaws. The Persian Letters consist of two fictional characters, Usbek and Rica, coming to Europe from foreign lands and their interpretation of what they see. In one of his letters, Rica compared the Pope to 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" (Zalta). Montesquieu’s technique of making them letters from fictional characters from foreign countries allowed for Europeans to look at their culture from a different point of view. In his other piece of work, The Spirit of Laws, he tried to make sense of human laws and social institutions. He wrote this work to make the idea of government more understandable and defined. He goes in depth on human socialism and how they interact. His works shaped the Europeans’ concept of an ideal government and also helped the development of future governments.

Zalta, Edward. Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2015

Lexy Maldonado: Cultural

The cultural impact Montesquieu had to be his impact on the American governemnt. Montesquieu ideology of a government is believing in one, a republic which has shaped america's government. Montesquieu states, “assigned to each form of government an animating principle: the republic”(Shackleton). Our government in america allows us to vote for an elected official in all three branches, allowing us to give an input in our government. Montesquieu believed the best government is one in which power was balanced among three groups of officials. The modern cultural impact of his beliefs is the outcome of the american government to this day, being divided between the president, congress and civil. Montesquieu goes on to state,“each branch of government could limit the power of the other two branches. Therefore, no branch of the government could threaten the freedom of the people”(“BARON DE MONTESQUIEU”). The american government is spread out between three official groups, Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. Within these groups each has the power to check another branch, to balance the powers between the three.The power of checks and balances is to ensure the power between all branches ensuring no “government could threaten the freedom of the people”.

Shackleton, Robert. “Montesquieu.” The Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., n.d Web. 24 November 2015.

“BARON DE MONTESQUIEU.” Thoughts worth thinking. Np., n.d. Web. 24 November 2015.