Project Gutenberg 2008-12-20 Public domain in the USA. 631 Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de 1689 1755 Montesquieu, Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brede et de Janet, Paul 1823 1899 Janet, Paul Alexandre René Janet, Paul Alexandre Rene Esprit des lois livres I à V, précédés d'une introduction de l'éditeur Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_of_Law Produced by Hélène de Mink, Laurent Vogel, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "Esprit des lois" by Baron de Charles de Secondat Montesquieu is a seminal work of political philosophy written in the mid-18th century. This essay examines the principles that underpin various forms of governance, contrasting monarchies, republics, and despotisms while emphasizing the importance of law, morality, and societal structures. Montesquieu's analysis leads to profound observations about the nature of power, liberty, and the role of laws in shaping human societies. At the start of "Esprit des lois," the introduction prepares the reader for the exploration of Montesquieu's political thought, which evolved from his earlier works like the "Lettres persanes." The opening discusses the influence of historical precedents on his later ideas, addressing the necessity of virtue in democracies, the honor in monarchies, and the dangers of despotism. Montesquieu critiques existing political structures, illustrating how different cultures and forms of government cultivate distinct moral principles and social behaviors. He posits that the balance and dynamics of power ultimately dictate the health and longevity of nations, setting the stage for the rigorous analysis found in the subsequent chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 65.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. fr Political science Law -- Philosophy State, The Jurisprudence JC Text FR Politique Banned Books from Anne Haight's list Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Politics 948898 2025-07-11T09:54:08.798033 text/html 948121 2021-01-04T12:51:52 text/html 390119 2025-07-11T09:54:23.409959 application/epub+zip 402718 2025-07-11T09:54:12.329030 application/epub+zip 402718 2025-07-11T09:54:10.207034 application/epub+zip 744254 2025-07-11T09:54:30.790909 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 693304 2025-07-11T09:54:21.830989 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 688592 2022-09-12T16:03:00.219857 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 767659 2025-07-11T09:54:06.531009 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 749426 2021-01-04T12:51:52 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16472 2008-10-01T22:38:00 application/octet-stream 26589 2008-10-01T22:38:00 application/octet-stream 42481 2008-10-01T22:38:00 application/octet-stream 38000 2008-10-01T22:38:00 application/octet-stream 38775 2008-10-01T22:38:00 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