Question

Which idea was Montesquieu’s contribution to ideas about government?

representative democracy

divine right

separation of powers

natural rights

Answer 1

Montesquieu’s contribution to ideas about government is drawn in his famous theory of separation of powers.This idea has been implemented in many constitutions all over the world. It states that all the government powers should be divided into different branches in order to create an organized and holistic government.

Answer 2

3. Separation of powers

Baron de Montesquieu was a French political philosopher (1689-1755), very famous for popularizing the separation of powers in his work The Spirit of the Laws (1748), which is a treatise on political theory.

In the treatise, the philosopher describes three types of government: democracy, republic, monarchy and despotism; and he supported the separation of powers into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial which should rule under the law and must check each other’s power in order to prevent from corruption or abuses of power.