The Spirit of the Laws

by Charles de Montesquieu, Thomas Nugent (Translator), TBD

Overview

This treatise on political theory, originally published anonymously in 1748, has become one of the most influential works of political science ever written. French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu wrote this piece under the inspiration of such political theorists as René Descartes, Nicholas de Malebranche, and Niccolò Machiavelli. The ideas laid forth by Montesquieu in this work, especially that of balancing power among branches of government, had a prominent influence on the American Constitution, although at the time of its publication was subject to censorship. Over twenty years in the making, “The Spirit of Laws” considers a vast range of political topics including: the preservation of civil liberties, taxation, slavery, commerce, the role of women, crime and punishment, religion, education, morality and the law, and other matters of political, sociological, and anthropological importance. Undoubtedly, it has become one of the most emulated and highly-regarded treatises on political law ever written. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420967852
Publisher:	Digireads.com
Publication date:	03/13/2020
Pages:	614
Sales rank:	251,751
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.36(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; Principal events in Montesquieu's life; Bibliographical note; translator's preface; List of abbreviations; Author's foreword; Preface;
Part I:
1. On laws in general;
2. On laws deriving directly from the nature of the government;
3. On the principles of the three governments;
4. That the laws of education should be relative to the principles of the government;
5. That the laws given by the legislator should be relative to the principles of the various governments in relation to the simplicity of civil and criminal laws, the form of judgments, and the establishment of penalties;
7. Consequences of the different principles of the three governments in relation to sumptuary laws, luxury, and the condition of women;
8. On the corruption of the principles of the three governments;
Part II:
9. On the laws in their relation with defensive force;
10. On laws in their relation with offensive force;
11. On the laws that form political liberty in its relation with the constitution;
12. On the laws that form political liberty in relation to the citizen;
13. On the relations that the levy of taxes and the size of public revenues have with liberty;
Part III:
14. On the laws in their relation to the nature of the climate;
15. How the laws of civil slavery are related with the nature of the climate;
16. How the laws of domestic slavery are related to the nature of the climate;
17. How the laws of political servitude are related to the nature of the climate;
18. On the laws in their relation with the nature of the terrain;
19. On the laws in their relation with the principles forming the general spirit, the mores, and the manners of a nation;
Part IV:
20. On the laws in their relation to commerce, considered in its nature and its distinctions;
21. On laws in their relation to commerce, considered in the revolutions it has had in the world;
22. On laws in their relation to the use of money;
23. On laws in their relation to the number of inhabitants;
24. On the laws in their relation to the religion established in each country, examined in respect to its practices and within itself;
25. On the laws in their relation with the establishment of the religion of each country, and of its external police;
26. On the laws in the relation they should have with the order of things upon which they are to enact;
Part VI:
27. On the origin and revolutions of the Roman laws on inheritance;
28. On the origin and revolutions of the civil laws among the French;
29. On the way to compose the laws;
30. The theory of the feudal laws among the Franks in their relation with the establishment of the monarchy;
31. The theory of the feudal laws among the Franks in their relation to the revolution of their monarchy; Bibliography; Index of names and plates.