Montesquieu's Argument For An Enlightened Ideal Government

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Baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755)
Montesquieu believed that the best government would be one where power was balanced among the three types of government: a monarchy, a republic, and despotism.

Voltaire (1694-1778)
Voltaire believed that an enlightened absolute ruler was the ideal form of government, as he did not trust the majority of people to make responsible decisions.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Rousseau believed that aristocracy is acceptable so long as it executes the general will rather than serving the welfare of the ruling elite.

Background
Between the late 16th and end 17th century, France was plagued by religious wars between the Catholics and the Protestants. Eventually, these wars came to an end with the Catholics gaining power, and a new centralized government and bureaucracy was put in place (Conrad, 2012). Over the centuries, France had seen a cycle of power shift between the monarchy, the nobility and the Church. The French Enlightenment philosophers sought to bring an end to the old authority.

Contested truths
French Enlightenment philosophers developed their own thoughts based on the English natural sciences - the idea that man has certain natural rights (natural law) and human reason is the way of knowing (Kant, 1784). These ideas …show more content…

Both Voltaire and Rousseau's ideas contributed to a new civil order based on natural law, and the rise of scientific thinking based on experiments and observation. Montesquieu's idea of a separation of powers played an important part in undermining the legitimacy of the Old Regime and shaping the French Revolution (Sandberg,

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