Commentary

[in chronological order]

Montesquieu on Ancient Greek Foreign Relations by Andrea Radasanu

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

French Political Thought from Montesquieu to Tocqueville: Liberty in a Levelled Society?

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Dijn, Annelien de. French Political Thought from Montesquieu to Tocqueville: Liberty in a Levelled Society? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
From the publisher: This 2008 study makes a major contribution to our understanding of one of the most important and enduring strands of modern political thought. Annelien de Dijn argues that Montesquieu’s aristocratic liberalism – his conviction… More

Montesquieu’s anti-Machiavellian Machiavellianism

- Rahe, Paul A. “Montesquieu’s anti-Machiavellian Machiavellianism.” History of European Ideas 37, no. 2 (June 2011): 128–136.
Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, mentions Niccolò Machiavelli by name in his extant works just a handful of times. That, however, he read him carefully and thoroughly time and again there can be no doubt, and it is also clear… More

Alexis de Tocqueville and the Two-Founding Thesis

- Ceaser, James W. “Alexis de Tocqueville and the Two-Founding Thesis.” The Review of Politics 73, no. 2 (April 1, 2011): 219–243.
Alexis de Tocqueville’s account of the formation of the American regime identifies two constitutive moments: the Puritan colonization and the Revolution and the Constitution (1775–1789). Contrary to historians of the day, Tocqueville gave as much… More

The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws

- Pangle, Thomas L. The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws. Chicago: The Univ. of Chicago Press, 2010.
From the publisher: The Spirit of the Laws—Montesquieu’s huge, complex, and enormously influential work—is considered one of the central texts of the Enlightenment, laying the foundation for the liberally democratic political regimes that were to… More

Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty: War, Religion, Commerce, Climate, Terrain, Technology, Uneasiness of Mind, the Spirit of Political Vigilance, and the Foundations of the Modern Republic

- Rahe, Paul Anthony. Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty: War, Religion, Commerce, Climate, Terrain, Technology, Uneasiness of Mind, the Spirit of Political Vigilance, and the Foundations of the Modern Republic. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010.
From the publisher: This fresh examination of the works of Montesquieu seeks to understand the shortcomings of the modern democratic state in light of this great political thinker’s insightful critique of commercial republicanism. The western democracies’… More

Civilising International Politics: Republicanism and the World Outside

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Long, Katya. “Civilising International Politics: Republicanism and the World Outside.” Millennium - Journal of International Studies 38, no. 3 (May 1, 2010): 773–796.
The link between republicanism and international relations theory is far from obvious. Among the many schools of contemporary theories of international relations there is not one that makes any explicit reference to republicanism. However, during the… More

Political Ontology and Institutional Design in Montesquieu and Rousseau

- Williams, David Lay. “Political Ontology and Institutional Design in Montesquieu and Rousseau.” American Journal of Political Science 54, no. 2 (April 1, 2010): 525–542.
Historians of political thought have been puzzled by Montesquieu’s simultaneous appeals to the diversity of human practices and eternal norms of justice. Isaiah Berlin famously referred to this as an impassable “contradiction” burdening his… More

The Propriety of Liberty: Persons, Passions, and Judgement in Modern Political Thought

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Kelly, Duncan. The Propriety of Liberty Persons, Passions and Judgement in Modern Political Thought. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011.
From the publisher: In this book, Duncan Kelly excavates, from the history of modern political thought, a largely forgotten claim about liberty as a form of propriety. By rethinking the intellectual and historical foundations of modern accounts of freedom, he… More

Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect

- Rahe, Paul Anthony. Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009.
From the publisher: In 1989, the Cold War abruptly ended and it seemed as if the world was at last safe for democracy. But a spirit of uneasiness, discontent, and world-weariness soon arose and has persisted in Europe, in America, and elsewhere for two… More

The Design of Montesquieu’s “The Spirit of the Laws”: The Triumph of Freedom over Determinism

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Samuel, Ana J. “The Design of Montesquieu’s ‘The Spirit of the Laws’: The Triumph of Freedom over Determinism.” The American Political Science Review 103, no. 2 (May 1, 2009): 305–321.
One of the perennial puzzles of Montesquieu’s “The Spirit of the Laws” is whether it has a coherent design. Although the dominant line of thinking is that this work has no unified structure, another believes it to have some organizing… More

Montesquieu and His Legacy

- Kingston, Rebecca, ed. Montesquieu and His Legacy. Albany: SUNY Press, 2009.
From the publisher: Montesquieu (1689-1755) is regarded as one of the most important thinkers of the Enlightenment. His Lettres persanes and L’Esprit des lois have been read by students and scholars throughout the last two centuries. While many have… More

Orientalism and Islam: European Thinkers on Oriental Despotism in the Middle East and India

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Curtis, Michael. Orientalism and Islam: European Thinkers on Oriental Despotism in the Middle East and India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
From the publisher: Through an historical analysis of the theme of Oriental despotism, Michael Curtis reveals the complex positive and negative interaction between Europe and the Orient. The book also criticizes the misconception that the Orient was the… More

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu

- Carrithers, David W., ed. Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. International Library of Essays in the History of Social and Political Thought Series. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Press, 2009.
From the publisher: The French philosopher Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) was a political and social thinker of enormous depth, range, originality, and influence. The essays by eminent scholars reprinted in this volume explore… More

Politics and History: Montesquieu, Rosseau, Marx

- Althusser, Louis. Translated by Ben Brewster. Politics and History: Montesquieu, Rosseau, Marx. London: Verso, 2007.
From the publisher: In the first two essays of this book, Louis Althusser analyses the work of two of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment – Montesquieu and Rousseau. He shows that although they made considerable advances towards establishing a… More

Laws, Passion, and the Attractions of Right Action by Sharon Krause

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Krause, Sharon R. “Laws, Passion, and the Attractions of Right Action in Montesquieu.” Philosophy & Social Criticism 32, no. 2 (March 1, 2006): 211–230.
This article examines Montesquieu’s concept of natural law and treatment of legal customs in conjunction with his theory of moral psychology. It explores his effort to entwine the rational procedural quality of laws with the substantive principles that… More

Montesquieu on Slavery

- Schaub, Diana J. “Montesquieu on Slavery.” Perspectives on Political Science 34, no. 2 (Spring 2005): 70–78.
Schaub studies Montesquieu’s erotic liberalism and unveils the triple-despotism–domestic, political, and spiritual–that The Persian Letters portrays and ridicules. She closely tracks Montesquieu on big issues such as his shifting… More

Montesquieu, Adam Smith and the Discovery of the Social

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Singer, Brian C. J. “Montesquieu, Adam Smith and the Discovery of the Social.” Journal of Classical Sociology 4, no. 1 (March 1, 2004): 31–57.
This article seeks to examine the ‘birth of the social’ in the 18th century through an examination and comparison of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws and Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments. The underlying claim is that the emergence of… More

Montesquieu’s Complex Natural Right and Moderate Liberalism: The Roots of American Moderation

- Carrese, Paul. “Montesquieu’s Complex Natural Right and Moderate Liberalism: The Roots of American Moderation.” Polity 36, no. 2 (January 1, 2004): 227–250.
The diversity in twentieth-century scholarship on Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Laws helps to confirm his own appreciation for complexity, synthesis, and balance in both political theory and practice. This is the overlooked meaning of… More

The Cloaking of Power: Montesquieu, Blackstone, and the Rise of Judicial Activism

- Carrese, Paul, The Cloaking of Power Montesquieu, Blackstone, and the Rise of Judicial Activism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
From the publisher: How did the US judiciary become so powerful—powerful enough that state and federal judges once vied to decide a presidential election? What does this prominence mean for the law, constitutionalism, and liberal democracy? In The Cloaking… More

Montesquieu: Critique of Republicanism?

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Spector, Céline. “Montesquieu: Critique of Republicanism?” Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 6, no. 1 (2003): 38–53.
The singular position of Montesquieu’s political philosophy seems to raise the question: Isn’t the opposition between republicanism and liberalism a largely artificial one? On the one hand, the description of the republican vivere civile in… More

The Machiavellian Moment: Florentine Political Thought and the Atlantic Republican Tradition

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Pocock, J. G. A. The Machiavellian Moment: Florentine Political Thought and the Atlantic Republican Tradition. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2003.
From the publisher: The Machiavellian Moment is a classic study of the consequences for modern historical and social consciousness of the ideal of the classical republic revived by Machiavelli and other thinkers of Renaissance Italy. J.G.A. Pocock suggests… More

Liberalism with Honor

- Krause, Sharon R. Liberalism with Honor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.
From the publisher: Why do men and women sometimes risk everything to defend their liberties? What motivates principled opposition to the abuse of power? In Liberalism with Honor, Sharon Krause explores honor as a motive for risky and difficult forms of… More

Montesquieu’s Theory and Practice of the Comparative Method

- Richter, Melvin. “Montesquieu’s Theory and Practice of the Comparative Method.” History of the Human Sciences 15, no. 2 (April 1, 2002): 21–33.
Montesquieu’s comparative method was his greatest contribution to the human sciences. Eighteenth-century European thinkers had developed many different models and conflicting evaluations of regimes and societies outside their continent. Thus Montesquieu… More

Montesquieu and the Spirit of Modernity

- Carrithers, David W., and Patrick Coleman, eds. Montesquieu and the Spirit of Modernity. Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 2002.

Montesquieu’s Science of Politics: Essays on The Spirit of the Laws

- Carrithers, David W., Michael A. Mosher, and Paul A. Rahe, eds. Montesquieu’s Science of Politics: Essays on The Spirit of Laws. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001.
From the publisher: Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Laws is one of a handful of classic works of political philosophy deserving a fresh reading every generation. The product of immense erudition, Montesquieu’s treatise has captured since its first… More

Natural Law, Natural Rights, and Classical Liberalism: On Montesquieu’s Critique of Hobbes

- Zuckert, Michael. "Natural Law, Natural Rights, and Classical Liberalism: On Montesquieu's Critique of Hobbes." In Natural Law and Modern Moral Philosophy, edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr., and Jeffrey Paul. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Zuckert gives an account of Montesquieu’s conception of natural law and relation to Hobbes.

On the Politics of Faith and Reason: The Project of Enlightenment in Pierre Bayle and Montesquieu

- Bartlett, Robert C. “On the Politics of Faith and Reason: The Project of Enlightenment in Pierre Bayle and Montesquieu.” The Journal of Politics 63, no. 1 (February 1, 2001): 1–28.
This study seeks to contribute to our understanding of the original political goals of the Enlightenment, especially in its confrontation with the Bible as a source of political guidance. It consists primarily of an exegesis of two seminal works of the… More

The Spirit of Separate Powers in Montesquieu

- Krause, Sharon. “The Spirit of Separate Powers in Montesquieu.” The Review of Politics 62, no. 2 (April 1, 2000): 231–265.
Montesquieu’s theory of separate powers is elaborated in a discussion of the constitution of England in Book XI, chapter 6 of The Spirit of the Laws, which is by far the most discussed section of that work. Many commentators have interpreted the English… More

Montesquieu on Federalism and Anglo-Gothic Constitutionalism

- Ward, Lee. “Montesquieu on Federalism and Anglo-Gothic Constitutionalism.” Publius 37, no. 4 (October 1, 2007): 551–577.
The common perception that Montesquieu is not a major theorist of federalism is due both to the peripheral nature of his account of confederate republics and his praise of the unitary British Constitution in the “Spirit of the Laws.” This study… More

The City of Man

- Manent, Pierre. The City of Man. Translated by Marc A. LePain. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.
From the publisher: The “City of God” or the “City of Man”? This is the choice St. Augustine offered 1500 years ago–and according to Pierre Manent the modern West has decisively and irreversibly chosen the latter. In this subtle… More

The Politics of Distinction and Disobedience: Honor and the Defense of Liberty in Montesquieu

- Krause, Sharon. “The Politics of Distinction and Disobedience: Honor and the Defense of Liberty in Montesquieu.” Polity 31, no. 3 (April 1, 1999): 469–499.
Elaborating Montesquieu’s concept of honor illuminates a dimension of his liberalism that has been neglected by prior commentary, and calls attention to a form of political motivation that has been overlooked in contemporary political theory. While… More

Justice among Nations: On the Moral Basis of Power and Peace

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Pangle, Thomas L, and Peter J Ahrensdorf. Justice Among Nations: On the Moral Basis of Power and Peace. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999.
In the post-Cold War era, we have lost the clarity that once characterized our vision of international conflict. Foreign affairs are no longer defined solely by the ideological battles fought between capitalism and communism or by the competition between two… More

Constitutionalism and the Separation of Powers

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Vile, M. J. C. Constitutionalism and the Separation of Powers. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1998.
Arguably no political principle has been more central than the separation of powers to the evolution of constitutional governance in Western democracies. In the definitive work on the subject, M. J. C. Vile traces the history of the doctrine from its rise… More

Main Currents in Sociological Thought

- Aron, Raymond. Translated by Richard Howard and Helen Weaver. Main Currents in Sociological Thought. Vol. 1. New Brunswick: Transaction, 1998.
From the publisher: More than a work of reconstruction, Aron’s study is an engagement with the question of modernity that explores three traditions: the French liberal school of political sociology, the Comtean tradition, and the Marxists.

The Passions and the Interests: Political Arguments for Capitalism before Its Triumph

- Hirschman, Albert O. The Passions and the Interests: Political Arguments for Capitalism before Its Triumph. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.
In this volume, Albert Hirschman reconstructs the intellectual climate of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to illuminate the intricate ideological transformation that occurred, wherein the pursuit of material interests –so long condemned as the… More

Theories of Tyranny: From Plato to Arendt

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Boesche, Roger. Theories of Tyranny, from Plato to Arendt. University Park, PA.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996.
This book explores a little-noticed tradition in the history of European political thought. From Plato to Aristotle to Tacitus and Machiavelli, and from Tocqueville to Max Weber and Hannah Arendt, political thinkers have examined the tyrannies of their times… More

Montesquieu and the Parlement of Bordeaux

- Kingston, Rebecca. Montesquieu and the Parlement of Bordeaux. Geneva: Droz, 1996.
Kingston interprets Montesquieu’s thought in the light of legal theory and practice in 18th century Bordeaux.

Erotic Liberalism by Diana Schaub

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Schaub, Diana J. Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu’s Persian Letters. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1995.
From the publisher: A treatment of Montesquieu’s “Persian Letters”, which argues that the novel is a philosophic critique of despotism in all its forms: domestic, political and religious. It shows that Montesquieu believed that the… More

An Intellectual History of Liberalism

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Manent, Pierre. An Intellectual History of Liberalism. Translated by Rebecca Balinski. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994.
From the publisher: Highlighting the social tensions that confront the liberal tradition, Pierre Manent draws a portrait of what we, citizens of modern liberal democracies, have become. For Manent, a discussion of liberalism encompasses the foundations of… More

Montesquieu and the New Republicanism

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Shklar, Judith N. "Montesquieu and the New Republicanism." In Machiavelli and Republicanism, edited by Gisela Bock, Quentin Skinner, and Maurizio Viroli. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Shklar analyzes Montesquieu’s distinctive republicanism and its legacy, especially in relation to that of Machiavelli.

Liberal Democracy and Political Science

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Ceaser, James W. Liberal Democracy and Political Science. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.
Do political scientists in a liberal democracy bear a special responsibility that goes beyond their academic pursuits? Ceaser, a scholar of American political parties, argues that they do, and he challenges colleagues and students to reexamine what they do as… More

Confronting the Constitution: The Challenge to Locke, Montesquieu, Jefferson, and the Federalists from Utilitarianism, Historicism, Marxism, Freudianism, Pragmatism, Existentialism

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Bloom, Allan David, and Steven J Kautz. Confronting the Constitution: The Challenge to Locke, Montesquieu, Jefferson, and the Federalists from Utilitarianism, Historicism, Marxism, Freudianism, Pragmatism, Existentialism. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press, 1990.
The 17 essays in this volume examine first the precepts of the Founding Fathers and their mentors. Then the most significant preconstitutional ideas are outlined, together with analyses of how they harmonize with the Constitution and how they undermine it.

Fearing Monarchs and Merchants: Montesquieu’s Two Theories of Despotism

- Boesche, Roger. “Fearing Monarchs and Merchants: Montesquieu’s Two Theories of Despotism.” The Western Political Quarterly 43, no. 4 (December 1, 1990): 741–761.
Although he did not invent the word despotism, Montesquieu more than any other author established it in our lexicon of political and politicized words. When we examine Montesquieu’s concept of despotism, however, we see an attack on two forces… More

Montesquieu’s Philosophy of Liberalism: A Commentary on the Spirit of the Laws

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Pangle, Thomas L. Montesquieu’s Philosophy of Liberalism: a Commentary on the Spirit of the Laws. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989.
From the publisher: This first comprehensive commentary on The Spirit of the Laws uncovers and explicates the plan of Montesquieu’s famous but baffling treatise. Pangle brings to light Montesquieu’s rethinking of the philosophical groundwork of… More

Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power

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Mansfield, Harvey Claflin. Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power. New York: Free Press, 1989.
This survey of Western political thought ranges from Aristotle to “The Federalist Papers”, showing how the doctrine of executive power arose and how it has developed to the present day. Although there were various “proto-executives”,… More

The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power

- Mansfield, Harvey C. “The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 17, no. 2 (April 1, 1987): 237–252.
When executive power is understood in its essential ambivalence between the weak, formal executive of theory and the strong, informal executive in practice, a quick history of the doctrine necessary to establish this ambivalence can be constructed: from… More

Montesquieu

- Shklar, Judith N. Montesquieu. Past Masters. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.
From the publisher: One of the most original political thinkers of the Enlightenment, Montesquieu utilized his passionate belief in toleration and the moral benefits of science to construct a naturalistic system of political science based on the study of… More

Montesquieu

- Lowenthal, David. "Montesquieu." In History of Political Philosophy. 3rd ed., edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Virtue, Commerce, and History: Essays on Political Thought and History, Chiefly in the Eighteenth Century

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Pocock, J. G. A. Virtue, Commerce, and History: Essays on Political Thought and History, Chiefly in the Eighteenth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.
From the publisher: A collection of essays from one of the leading figures in the study of the history of political thought. Includes essays concerned principally with the history of British political thought in the 18th century, several of which have been… More

Commerce, Power and Justice: Montesquieu on International Politics

- Rosow, Stephen J. “Commerce, Power and Justice: Montesquieu on International Politics.” The Review of Politics 46, no. 3 (July 1, 1984): 346–366.
In this essay Montesquieu’s reflections on international politics are interpreted as a more-or-less coherent whole rooted in his understanding of the structural changes in European history from antiquity to the eighteenth century. Montesquieu’s… More

Religion & Liberalism in Montesquieu’s Persian Letters

- Kessler, Sanford. “Religion & Liberalism in Montesquieu’s Persian Letters.” Polity 15, no. 3 (April 1, 1983): 380–396.
Taking shelter behind a fictional account of happenings in an Iranian seraglio and in a presumably Islamic paradise, Montesquieu attacked the orthodoxy in Biblical religions. Professor Kessler examines Montesquieu’s treatment of religion in the Persian… More

The Confederate Republic in Montesquieu

- Wolfe, Christopher. “The Confederate Republic in Montesquieu.” Polity 9, no. 4 (July 1, 1977): 427–445.
Montesquieu’s political thought has been of interest to American practitioners and theorists since the early days of the republic. Hamilton and Madison in Federalist No. 9 and No. 10 tried to extract useful knowledge concerning the confederate republic… More

Montesquieu and the Old Regime

- Hulliung, Mark. Montesquieu and the Old Regime. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976.
Hulliung offers a distinct interpretation on Montesquieu’s appraisal of the old regime.

Comparative Political Analysis in Montesquieu and Tocqueville

- Richter, Melvin. “Comparative Political Analysis in Montesquieu and Tocqueville.” Comparative Politics 1, no. 2 (January 1, 1969): 129–160.
Richter examines Montesquieu’s and Tocqueville’s procedures of comparative political analysis.

Book I of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws

- Lowenthal, David. “Book I of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws.” The American Political Science Review 53, no. 2 (June 1, 1959): 485–498.
The Spirit of the Laws has a design or system, and only in its light are the parts fully intelligible. To uncover this design, we must begin by studying that apparently incoherent and alternately simplistic and obscure masterpiece of profound and benevolent… More