How Did Montesquieu Impact On Europe

Montesquieu: His Philosophies and Their Impact on Europe

During the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries there was a questioning of the Ancient Régime. France had too strong of a central government. The Scientific Revolution pushed the idea of finding the truth about things which led to the questioning of old beliefs and the Enlightenment. Baron de Montesquieu, a French Enlightenment thinker among many others influenced this shift. Along with that, he studied law and politics, wrote many books and traveled across Europe. His philosophies challenged the classic ways of government and helped shape some forms of government today. Ultimately Montesquieu had a positive impact in France and many other Nations.

In 1689 on January Eighteenth, a great

His ideas set forth the movement of the French Revolution. Stated in a primary source document of Montesquieu is, “In the republics of Italy, where these three powers are united, there is less liberty than in our monarchies. Hence their government is obliged to have to recourse to as violent methods for its support”(Montesquieu). Italy put to use Montesquieu’s idea of the separation of powers, but it was not as liberated as French monarchs. Therefore violence was needed to structure the government. Italy, a neighboring country of France was bound to receive ideas from the French and vice versa. The idea from France happened to be the Separation of Powers, one of Montesquieu’s philosophies. Not only did this idea become popular in just European nations, but it became a system known around the world. For example, during this time, “...the theory of Separation of Powers of Powers,... It at once became perhaps the most important piece of political writing in the Eighteenth century. Though its accuracy has in more recent times been disputed, in its own century it was admired and held authoritative, even in England; it inspired the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Constitution of the United States”(Britannica Academics). By becoming a piece of the foundation for the United States Constitution, Montesquieu’s ideas were thoroughly thought out. As a government the New World didn’t want a government like the Monarchy in any way that would defeat the purpose of them fighting for independence. They needed a strong central government that was not too strong, but strong enough to govern the people. The Separation of Powers did exactly that with the help of other ideas mixed in as well. Montesquieu became very well known in most nations considering all the work he did. As a philosopher, he wrote 12 books and traveled around Europe, which essentially