Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (January 18, 1689 – February 10, 1755) was a French political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment and is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, taken for granted in modern discussions of government and implemented in many constitutions all over the world. He was largely responsible for the popularization of the terms "feudalism" and "Byzantine Empire."

Political views

Montesquieu's most radical work divided French society into three classes (or trias politica, a term he coined): the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the commons. Montesquieu saw two types of powers existing: the sovereign and the administrative. The administrative powers were the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. These powers were to be divided up among the three classes, which he referred to as Estates, so that each would have a power over the other. This was radical because it completely eliminated the clergy from the estates and erased any last vestige of a feudalistic structure. Likewise, there were three main forms of government. These were monarchies (a government run by a king or queen) which relied on the principle of honor, republics (a government run by an elected leader) which relied on the principle of virtue, and despotisms (a government run by a dictator) which relied on fear. He believed that the best form of government was a monarchy, and he upheld the British constitution as ideal.

Related Topics:
Trias politica - Legislative - Executive - Judiciary - Clergy - Feudalistic - Monarchies - Principle of honor - Republic - Principle of virtue - Despot - Dictator - Fear - British constitution

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Like many of his generation, Montesquieu held a number of views that might today be judged quaint or outdated. While he endorsed the idea that a woman could run a government, he held that she could not be effective as the head of a family. He firmly accepted the role of a hereditary aristocracy and the value of primogeniture. He was frankly a . His views have been abused by modern revisionists; thus, Montesquieu was ahead of his time as an ardent opponent of slavery, but has been quoted out of context to seem to have supported the enslavement of Africans.

Related Topics:
Primogeniture - Revisionists

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One of his more exotic ideas, outlined in The Spirit of the Laws, is the climate theory, which holds that climate should substantially influence the nature of man and his society. He even goes so far as to assert that certain climates are superior to others, the temperate climate of France being the best of possible climates. His view is that people living in hot countries are "too hot-tempered," while those in northern countries are "icy" or "stiff." The climate in middle Europe thus breeds the best people. (This view is possibly influenced by similar statements in Germania by Tacitus, one of Montesquieu's favourite authors.)

Related Topics:
Climate - Germania - Tacitus

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