Commentary
[in chronological order]
Montesquieu on Ancient Greek Foreign Relations by Andrea Radasanu
-Radasanu, Andrea. “Montesquieu on Ancient Greek Foreign Relations Toward National Self-Interest and International Peace.” Political Research Quarterly 66, no. 1 (March 1, 2013): 3–17.
Montesquieu famously claims that modernity ushered in gentle mores and peaceful relations among countries. Consulting Montesquieu’s teaching on Greek foreign policy, both republican and imperial, elucidates the character of these peaceful mores. Montesquieu… More
Montesquieu and the Discovery of the Social
-Singer, Brian C. J. Montesquieu and the Discovery of the Social. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
Montesquieu has often been considered the first social theorist. Today, when a number of authors have pronounced ‘the end of the social’, it is time to reconsider its beginnings. What did it mean to ‘discover the social’? What did it… More
Against the Current: Essays in the History of Ideas
- Berlin, Isaiah. Against the Current: Essays in the History of Ideas. Edited by Henry Hardy. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 2013.From the publisher: In this outstanding collection of essays, Isaiah Berlin, one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century, discusses the importance of dissenters in the history of ideas—among them Machiavelli, Vico, Montesquieu, Herzen, and Sorel.… More
Montesquieu’s Natural Rights Constitutionalism by Paul Rahe
-Rahe, Paul A. “Montesquieu's Natural Rights Constitutionalism.” Social Philosophy and Policy 29, no. 02 (2012): 51–81.
When Woodrow Wilson, in the course of his campaign for the Presidency in 1912, attacked Thomas Jefferson and Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, he knew what he was about—for the constitutionalism articulated by the latter and… More
Montesquieu and Modern Republicanism
-Douglass, Robin. “Montesquieu and Modern Republicanism.” Political Studies 60, no. 3 (2012): 703–719.
In this article I explore Montesquieu’s discussion of republics and the constitution of England in order to question the extent to which he should be accorded a central place in a tradition of modern republicanism. This involves challenging Paul… More
A Virtue for Courageous Minds: Moderation in French Political Thought, 1748-1830
-Crăiuțu, Aurelian. A Virtue for Courageous Minds: Moderation in French Political Thought, 1748-1830. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012.
Political moderation is the touchstone of democracy, which could not function without compromise and bargaining, yet it is one of the most understudied concepts in political theory. How can we explain this striking paradox? Why do we often underestimate the… More
Democratic International Relations: Montesquieu and the Theoretical Foundations of Democratic Peace Theory
-Patapan, Haig. “Democratic International Relations: Montesquieu and the Theoretical Foundations of Democratic Peace Theory.” Australian Journal of International Affairs 66, no. 3 (2012): 313–329.
The article examines the extent to which Montesquieu’s doux commerce thesis, which claims that commerce leads to softening of manners and therefore favours international peace, presents a challenge to democratic peace theory. It argues that… More
Was Montesquieu a Liberal?: The Spirit of the Laws in the History of Liberalism
-Spector, Céline. "Was Montesquieu a Liberal?: The Spirit of the Laws in the History of Liberalism." In French Liberalism from Montesquieu to the Present Day, edited by Raf Geenens and Helena Rosenblatt. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Spector examines whether Montesquieu was, indeed, a liberal.
The Idea of Enlightenment: A Postmortem Study
- Bartlett, Robert C. The Idea of Enlightenment: A Postmortem Study. Toronto: Univ. Of Toronto Press, 2011.From the publisher: In “The Idea of Enlightenment”, Robert Bartlett explores the roots of the contemporary dissatisfaction with the modern Enlightenment, the momentous political-philosophical project that sought to liberate politics from religious… More
On Political Liberty: Montesquieu’s Missing Manuscript
-Dijn, Annelien de. “On Political Liberty: Montesquieu’s Missing Manuscript.” Political Theory 39, no. 2 (April 1, 2011): 181–204.
This essay draws attention to the importance of Montesquieu’s earliest and unpublished writings on liberty for our understanding of the famous eleventh book of the Spirit of the Laws. Montesquieu’s investigation of the nature and preconditions of… More
Major Works
Persian Letters
- Recommended Edition: Bilingual edition by Tony Richardson and John Davidson, Jiahu Books, 201Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline
-Recommended edition: Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de. Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline. Translated by David Lowenthal. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1999.
Except from the recommended edition: It is not chance that rules the world. Ask the Romans, who had a continuous sequence of successes when they were guided by a certain plan, and an uninterrupted sequence of reverses when they followed another. There are… More
On the Spirit of the Laws
- Recommended edition: Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de. The Spirit of the Laws. Edited and translated by Anne M. Cohler, Basia C. Miller, and Harold Stone. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1989.Excerpt from the recommended edition: I began by examining men, and I believed that, amidst the infinite diversity of laws and mores, they were not led by their fancies alone. I have set down the principles, and I have seen particular cases conform to them as… More
Multimedia
Rebecca R. Clark- Finding and Founding Liberty: Montesquieu’s Account of the Gothic Roots of Modern Political Liberty
- Rebecca R. Clark, "Finding and Founding Liberty: Montesquieu's Account of the Gothic Roots of Modern Political Liberty," at the John Marshall International Center for the Study of Statesmanship at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond, January 19, 2012.Rebecca R. Clark presents “Finding and Founding Liberty: Montesquieu’s Account of the Gothic Roots of Modern Political Liberty” to the John Marshall International Center for the Study of Statesmanship at the Jepson School of Leadership… More
Iván Szelényi: Montesquieu
- Iván Szelényi, "Foundations of Modern Social Theory," Yale Open Courses, Fall 2009.Professor Iván Szelényi’s lectures on Montesquieu from Yale’s “Foundations of Modern Social Theory,” available through Yale Open Courses. Fall 2009.
Other Works
The Temple of Gnidus
- Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de. "The Temple of Gnidus." Vol. 4 of The Complete Works of M. de Montesquieu. London: T. Evans, 1777.Excerpt: An ambassador of France at the Ottoman Porte, known by his taste for literature, having purchased many Greek manuscripts, brought them to France; and, some of them falling into my hands, I found among them the work of which I here give a translation.… More
A Defence of the Spirit of Laws. To which are added, Some Explanations
- Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de. "A Defence of the Spirit of Laws. To which are added, Some Explanations." Vol. 4 of The Complete Works of M. de Montesquieu. London: T. Evans, 1777.Excerpt: Though the Spirit of Laws is intirely a work relating to politics and civil law, the Author has had frequent occasion, in the course of that work, to mention the Christian religion. He has done it in such a manner, as fully to shew its dignity; and… More