Baron+de+Montesquieu

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 * was a nobleman, a judge in a French court, and one of the most influential political thinkers. went to Oratorian College at Juilly (1700-11), where he received a wholly literary and classical education
 * His motto was freedom-Liberty is the stepchild of privilege. This allowed Montesquieu to defend the constitutional monarch as he claimed it was governed by honor. Montesquieu argued that the monarchs could become too passionate and the commons were too big and too egalitarian to rule properly. However, he portrayed the aristocracy as having and maintaining the honor that kept monarchies constitutional. But, he also warned that the aristocracy is doomed when it becomes self-interested, arrogant and parasitic. Montesquieu's most radical work situated the three French classes into a "checks and balances" A termed he coined. of three sovereignties; 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 amongst the three classes so that each would have a power over the other. This is so radical because it completely eliminates the clergy from the estates and because it erases any last vestige of a feudalistic structure.


 * He articulated the theory of separation of powers which is the basis for the United States Constitution. He thought it most important to create three separate branches of government with equal but different powers. He thought England - which divided power between the king (who enforced laws), Parliament (which made laws), and the judges of the English courts (who interpreted laws) - was a good model of this. This way, the government would avoid placing too much power with one individual or group of individuals; 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.

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 * Despite Montesquieu's belief in the principles of a democracy, he did not feel that all people were equal. Montesquieu approved of slavery. He also thought that women were weaker than men and that they had to obey the commands of their husband. However, he also felt that women did have the ability to govern, he thought that theit calmness and gentleness would be helpful qualities in making decisions in government
 * Charles Louis de Secondat was born Château de la Brède in Bordeaux, France, on 18 January 1689 to a wealthy family. He later went to college and studied science and history, eventually becoming a lawyer in the local government. De Secondat's father died in 1713 and he was placed under the care of his uncle, Baron de Montesquieu. The Baron died in 1716 and left de Secondat his fortune, his office as president of the Bordeaux Parliament, and his title of Baron de Montesquieu.


 * He gained fame in 1721 with his //Lettres persanes// (//Persian Letters)//, which criticized the lifestyle and liberties of the wealthy French as well as the church. However, Montesquieu's book //De l'esprit des lois (On the Spirit of Laws),// published in 1748, was his most famous work. It outlined his ideas on how government would best work; was published anonymously and was enormously influential.


 * was troubled by poor eyesight, and was completely blind by the time of his death on February 10, 1755.

Sources: unknown, (1995). Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from Malaspina Great Books Web site: http://www.malaspina.org/montesquieuc.htmZM

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Dégert, A. (1911). Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from New Advent: <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10536a.htm

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Bok, H (2008). Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Web site: <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/montesquieu <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Richter, M (Ed.). (1990). //Selected political writings/Montesquieu//. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc..

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//(classical music intro)// Charles Louis de Secondat was born on January 18, 1689. He was born at Château de la Brède in Bordeaux, France to a wealthy family. His mother died when he was only eleven years old. He attended the Oratorian College at Juilly, where he received a wholly literary and classical education. He also received a degree in law from the University of Bordeaux in 1708 and continued his legal studies in Paris. When his father died in 1713, he returned to La Brede. In 1715, he married Jeanne de Lartigue with whom he had one son and two daughters. His paternal uncle, the Baron de Montesquieu, died in 1716. Montesquieu inherited his uncle's fortune, his position as President of the Bordeaux Parliament, and his title of Baron de Montesquieu. Montesquieu, though, had problems with poor eyesight later in his life and was completely blind by the time he died. Baron de Montesquieu gained fame with his //Persian Letters// in 1721. In this book, he criticized the liberties and lifestyles of the wealthy French and of the Church. Montesquieu's greatest work was //On the Spirit of Laws//. In this book, he outlined his ideas on how government would best work. This book was published anonymously and it became very influential and controversial. Since this book was so controversial, he published a //Defense of the Spirit of Laws// to answer his many critics. The Roman Catholic Church, however, still placed the book //On the Spirit of Laws// on the Index of Forbidden Books.

Baron de Montesquieu's motto was freedom-Liberty is the stepchild of privilege. He believed that monarchs, an aristocracy, and commoners could not rule properly. So Montesquieu created a system of "checks and balances." This radical idea had two types of powers: the sovereign and the administrative. The administrative powers included the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. These powers were divided among the three French classes so that each class would have power over the other. This idea was so radical because it eliminated the clergy from the estates and it erased any remnants of the feudalistic structure.

//(short patriotic music clip)// Baron de Montesquieu thought of the idea of separation of powers, which became the basis for the United States Constitution. He believed that England was a good model for this structure of government. England divided its government between the King (who enforced the laws), the Parliament (which made the laws), and the English Courts (which interpreted the laws). Montesquieu believed that with this separation of powers, the government would avoid placing too much power with one group or individual because each branch of government could limit the power of the other branches. He also said that this would protect the freedoms of the people. Baron de Montesquieu died from fever, in Paris, on February 10, 1755.