2017-02-10 Fri

Montesquieu born in Bordeaux on 18th January, 1689, studied science and history and eventually became a lawyer in the local government. After his Uncle Baron de Montesquieu’s death, he inherited his fortune, his office as president of the Bordeaux Parliament, and his title of Baron de Montesquieu. Later he was a member of the Bordeaux and French Academies of Science and studied the laws, customs and governments of European countries. He gained fame in 1721 with his Persian Letters that criticized the lifestyle and liberties of the wealthy French as well as the church. However, his book “On the Spirit of Laws” (1748) that outlined his ideas on how government would best work is his most famous work.

He believed that all things were made up of rules or laws that never changed. According to him there were three types of government: a monarchy (ruled by a king or queen), a republic (ruled by an elected leader), and a despotism (ruled by a dictator). He believed that a democratic government was the best but its success depended upon maintaining the right balance of power.

He argued that the best government would be one in which power was equally balanced among three groups of officials and called it the "separation of powers"; each branch of government could limit the powers of the other two branches thus leaving no threat for people’s freedom. He also thought that women were weaker than men and thus could govern better as their calmness and gentleness would be helpful qualities in making decisions in government.

His ideas about separation of powers became the basis for the United States Constitution. He died today in 1755. La Poste France released this 5+1 franc stamp of Montesquieu on 14th November, 1949.