AP+Montesquieu

Term: Montesquieu

Aim: Megan Litwicki

Montesquieu geared most of his philosophy towards politics, and the encouragement to lead a free society. In his treatise //The Spirit of the Laws,// these particular political ideals can be easily discerned. Hilary Bok reflects on Montesquieu’s writing, dictating, “He believes that to live under a stable, non-despotic government that leaves its law-abiding citizens mo re or less free to live their lives is a great good, and that no such government should be lightly tampered with” (Bok). The aim to teach about a democratic society shines through when Bok says “non-despotic” does “great good,” exemplifying the idea that having a people based society is essential. Making sure that people are “law-abiding” and “free” simultaneously help to drive the point that “government” cannot be ruled by one sole leader. It needs a group, and division of powers, in order to achieve the goals that Montesquieu desires. Montesquieu’s “belief” that people need this “free”-dom, and that it cannot be taken “lightly,” makes the idea of a democratic and sustained society a blatant goal for Montesquieu. Influencing the way politics are handled was a major focus for Montesquieu, yet it was not the sole target of his ideals. Montesquieu often criticized and directed his work towards people who led frivolous lives, as he believed their priorities were askew and needed change. In a personal quote, Montesquieu reflects upon humanity’s importance by instructing, “We should weep for men at their birth, not at their death” (Montesquieu). The men who “weep” for “men” “at their death” can be determined to be those who try to achieve some sort of goal in life, as they are saddened when it is over. Montesquieu’s refuting this idea proves that he does not agree with people’s attempts to put a purpose to life, as life is not always certain. Death is inevitable, and therefore there is no need to fret over it. Instead of crying at “death,” he dictates that people “should weep for men at their birth.” Through this, Montesquieu brings forth the idea that the uncertainties of life and worse than the certainty of death; they are what is worth “weep”-ing for. The frivolity people put in their lives was something that Montesquieu wished to eradicate, so that people could live freely and to the best of their abilities.

Works Cited:

Hilary, Bok. “Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat.” //standford.edu.// Stanford University. Web. 12 October 2011.

Montesquieu, Charles. //brainyquote.com.// Brainy Quote. Web. 13 October 2011.

2. Montesquieu (Audience) 3. Jamie Stevens 4. One of the audiences that Montesquieu impacted were politicians. He invented the theory of the separation of powers, which affects the system of government. Hilary Bok argues, “He constructed a naturalistic account of the various forms of government, and of the causes that made them what they were and that advanced or constrained their development” (Bok). Montesquieu’s creation of “the various forms of government” strongly impacted the way politicians carried out their jobs. Since Montesquieu’s new forms of government were either “advanced or constrained”, the way that politicians acted also had to become either “advanced or constrained”. One type of governmental power Montesquieu invented, the administration, caused politicians to have to only focus on one branch of government: legislative, executive, or judicial. These three branches have to work together, and this affected politicians because they have to compromise with people belonging to different branches. It also affected politicians under the other governmental power that he invented of sovereignty, seeing as they had to follow different guidelines under this.

Another audience that Montesquieu affected was society as a whole. He changed the class system, which strongly affected the way they live. DF Pocock states, “//On the Spirit of Laws// is the first consistent attempt to survey the varieties of human society, to classify and compare them and, within society, to study the inter-functioning of institutions” (Pocock). His “survey” of the “varieties of human society” allowed him to analyze the human race more effectively. This led to him “classify”-ing them and “compare”-ing them, which changed the ideas of anthropology. This “study” led to the three classes of the monarchy, aristocracy, and the commons. These changed the way people lived, as it made some more influential than others. Citizens had to abide by certain rules under these three classes, changing their lifestyles greatly. 5. Hilary, Bok. “Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat.” //standford.edu.// Stanford University. Web. 14 October 2011.

“Montesquieu”. //en.wikipedia.org.// Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 October 2011.

1 2. Montesquieu 3. Will Cross (Historical) 4. Montesquieu's political ideology is the cause for many of the political reforms today. His division of power can be seen in the United States' federal government system as well as in many other governments that contain multiple branches of power. From the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Hilary Bok explains "He saw despotism, in particular, as a standing danger for any government not already despotic, and argued that it could best be prevented by a system in which different bodies exercised legislative, executive, and judicial power, and in which all those bodies were bound by the rule of law" (Bok). Through the use of terms like "Legislative", "Executive" and "Judicial Power" Bok paints a picture of an early version of the ideals that helped shape the United States. One of the people that influenced Montesquieu was John Locke through his ideals of unalienable rights of people. Locke's societal and political ideas caused Montesquieu to find a way to stop the corruption of government through power. Bok's explanation of what he feared for government because of despotism allows his work to be seen as a response to the political struggles and issues at the time. With his interpretation of the Locke's unalienable rights Montesquieu as lain the foundation for many current political methods.

The current political affiliation that fits best into Montesquieu's own ideology is the democratic government of the US. Many different ideas from a diverse group of philosophers and political "thinkers" were used when framing the constitution of the United States. One of the most influential was the ideology and concepts thought of by Montesquieu. Bok writes "This theory of the separation of powers had an enormous impact on liberal political theory, and on the framers of the constitution of the United States of America" (Bok). Through the explanation of who benefited from the Montesquieu's ideas it is show just how much he effected the modern society. The use of the separation of powers in United States has allowed the country to maintain, for the most part, it's original intentions and beliefs. Bok's use of phrases like "liberal political theory" shows how deeply Montesquieu's ideas have gone. They still carry on in many of the emerging countries as well as keep the current countries in check.

Works Cited -Bok, Hilary. "Baron De Montesquieu, Charles-Louis De Secondat (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." //Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy//. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

-"La División De Poderes, Según Montesquieu « Fuentes Para La Historia Del Mundo Contemporáneo." //Fuentes Para La Historia Del Mundo Contemporáneo//. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. (Photo)

2.Montesquieu

3. Xavier McLallen (Cultural)

4.Due to Montesquieu's aim on politics and a free society, the majority of his impact on culture is also focused on political issues. His ideas about divisions of power, and thus checks and balances, were and are the basis for the current American political system as well as many others. Yet this is not the only influence on current culture, for Montesquieu has also influenced the average citizen's way of life. For example, Montesquieu is quoted as having said that "There is no nation so powerful, as the one that obeys its laws not from principals of fear or reason, but from passion" (Montesquieu). This quote embodies current attitudes towards politics; People follow and fight for laws out of the passionate faith they have in the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, Freedom and other American ideals, etc. In fact many people, especially American "patriots" follow Montesquieu's philosophy-- albeit often unknowingly. Furthermore, Montesquieu's ideas -- which could be said to be the basis of our current government system and thus our political philosophies -- are even the source of the common man's ideas about the world and governments.

Not only did Montesquieu affect cultural views on the systems of government, but he also influenced ideas about Empires and territorial rule by a government. In his Considerations on the Greatness and Decline of the Romans, Montesquieu shows how a society based on freedom will fall once it attempts to expand its control. He explains how Rome conquered entire countries, then grew greedy and hypocritical. He argues that "as long as the people of Rome were corrupted only by their tribunes... the senate could easily defend itself because it acted with consistency" (Montesqueiu, Lowenthal). His example of a past society's fall due to hypocrisy has encouraged American, and other similar countries, to favor against Imperialistic policies. He goes further to say that "After this, Rome was no longer a city whose people had but a single spirit, a single love of liberty, a single hatred..." (Montesqueiu, Lowenthal). By saying that "Rome was no longer a city" and showing that the people no longer held to their ideals of liberty, Montesqueiu makes it obvious that such acts as this would be foolish for any society to attempt. Montesqueiu also uses this an example of the culture of Rome which serves as a negative example and reinforcement of what Americans and other free societies should abstain from, for the consequences of the fall of society and liberty are too great. Montesqueiu's impact on culture is astounding, as it is both a basis for governments as well as a warning for the people. He has greatly influenced modern culture, even if few of the average citizens know his name.

5. Works Cited:

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Montesquieu, Charles. brainyquote.com. Brainy Quote. Web. 13 October 2011. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Montesquieu, and David Lowenthal. "Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline (abridged)." Florida State University. Web. 15 Oct. 2011.