Montesquieu’s Impact
Impact on the Enlightenment:
Montesquieu is without doubt one of the greatest enlightened thinkers and writers. He viewed the world with a similar view as that of John Locke, with some of his own ideas. For example, he was one of, if not the greatest supporter of the idea of separation of power within the government, often praising England for having such system.
Montesquieu had to sacrifice a lot in order to talk about his ideas. He was a wealthy, educated noble, and he helped promote ideas that damaged the amount of power and wealth that nobles had. He argued against the Catholic Church, despite being a Christian himself, and was forced to publish his book Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and of their Decline anonymously in order to not be persecuted by the church. However, it was Montesquieu’s position that allowed his ideas to reach such popularity, since he was wealthy and had recieved a good education he was able to write and read very well. He also inherited political positions, giving him first hand experience with the argument he discussed. His wealth also allowed him to travel, and in his travel he arrived in England, where he studied its political system which inspired him to support the idea of the separation of power, which is arguably what he is most known for.
Effects on the Modern World:
Montesquieu’s writing and ideologies in his book The Spirit of the Laws had a major impact on modern society, helping create the bases for the democratic institutions after the French revolution, and can even be seen in the constitution of the United States of America. The idea of separation of power is now used in many countries in the world, and wouldn’t have developed or reached such popularity without Montesquieu’s contributions.
