Merits of Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws (1748)

About this Collection

The appearance of Montesquieus Spirit of Laws in 1748 provoked a debate which has raged ever since. Montesquieu anaysed different forms of government, the impact of climate on social organization, advocated the separation of powers as a brake on the power of the monarch, and espoused unorthodox religious views (thus getting his book placed on the Index in 1751). Gathered here are some of the replies to the arguments first put forward in 1748.

18th Century

Titles & Essays

Group by Category

Commentaire sur l’Esprit des Lois de Montesquieu

Antoine Louis Claude, Comte Destutt de Tracy (author)

A French version of Destutt de Tracy’s extended commentary on Montesquieu which so impressed Jefferson that he translated it himself.

A Commentary and Review of Montesquieu’s ’Spirit of Laws’

Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet (author)

One of two books by the French liberal Destutt de Tracy which were translated and published by Thomas Jefferson.

Complete Works, vol. 1 The Spirit of Laws

Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (author)

This is volume 1 from the Complete Works. The Spirit of Laws is Montesquieu’s best known work in which he reflects on the influence of climate on society, the separation of political powers, and the need for checks on a powerful…

Complete Works, vol. 2 The Spirit of Laws

Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (author)

This is volume 2 from the Complete Works. The Spirit of Laws is Montesquieu’s best known work in which he reflects on the influence of climate on society, the separation of political powers, and the need for checks on a powerful…

Liberty Matters: Montesquieu on Liberty and Sumptuary Law (Nov. 2015)

Henry C. Clark (author)

In this discussion of Montesquieu’s economic thought, in particular his ideas about the need for sumptuary laws in republics, Henry Clark of Dartmouth College investigates this little appreciated aspect of Montesquieu’s thinking and…