Government and its conditions
Montesquieu compares laws and political arrangements in relation to the circumstances of societies. The work ranges across institutions, customs, commerce, and forms of government.
Book · A CLOSER LOOK
The Spirit of Laws
ABOUT THE BOOK
A comparative inquiry into laws, political institutions, liberty, and the distribution of power.
A CLOSER LOOK
The story behind it.
A comparative inquiry into laws, political institutions, liberty, and the distribution of power.
Power checked by power
Its discussion of political liberty connects the distribution of governmental powers with protection against arbitrary rule. That argument became influential in later constitutional thought.
START HERE
Background & references (opens in a new tab)Source for The Spirit of Laws: Background & references.
Sources for this closer look
Background & references (opens in a new tab)Read the original French text (opens in a new tab)Read the book.
Follow the original source to explore the work in its own context.
Sources & credits
Introductions are grounded in the sources below. Collection notes and reading prompts provide an editorial starting point; personal opinions are identified in the collection’s content.
KEEP EXPLORING
Discover the person. Follow the work.
SpeechThe Gettysburg Address
Two different forms of political thought: an extended study of institutions and a brief statement of democratic purpose.
EXPLORE THIS WORKAbraham Lincoln
HistoryLeadership
ArtThe School of Athens
A visual celebration of philosophical inquiry beside a major work of political philosophy.
START WITHExplore the original
ArtCulture