Tag: Republicanism

Topics

Major Works

  • 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

  • Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline

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    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

Commentary

  • Montesquieu and the Classics: Republican Government in The Spirit of the Laws

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    Lowenthal, David. "Montesquieu and the Classics: Republican Government in The Spirit of the Laws." In Ancients and Moderns: Essays on the Tradition of Political Philosophy in Honor of Leo Strauss, edited by Joseph Cropsey. New York: Basic Books, 1964.

  • Virtuous Republics and Glorious Monarchies: Two Models in Montesquieu’s Political Thought

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    Keohane, Nannerl O. “Virtuous Republics and Glorious Monarchies: Two Models in Montesquieu’s Political Thought.” Political Studies 20, no. 4 (1972): 383–396.

  • 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.

  • 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

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

Multimedia

  • 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.