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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page paper which considers the different political leadership methods advocated by these two French Enlightenment philosophers, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses as they related to society, and considers how their methods impacted society. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGroumon.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
of a group of scholars dubbed as the "philosophes," who began examining the government institutions that were in place, and didnt like what they saw. Historical texts, such as
Exploring Western Civilization 1600 to the Present, written by university professors Thomas J. Kehoe, Harold E. Damerow and Jose M. Duval, in 1994, have contemplated the concepts of these philosophes
and critically evaluated their social impact for contemporary students. Two thinkers who particularly distinguished themselves during this period was Charles, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778).
Their diametrically opposing views sowed the seeds of discord that would eventually blossom into the American Revolution of 1776 and the French Revolution of 1789. Fundamental to Montesquieus political methods
is the understanding that laws are a necessary form of regulating citizens within society (Lafrance, 1988). These laws can only succeed if they promote political liberty, which Montesquieu describes
in The Spirit of Laws as "being able to do what one should want to do and not at all constrained to do what one should not want to do"
(Krause, 2000, p. 231). This should not be construed as being synonymous with independence, for that according to Montesquieu is simply doing whatever one wants, with no regard to
law (Krause, 2000). If independence must be sacrificed in order to achieve political liberty, so be it (Krause, 2000). Montesquieu warned that political leadership was vulnerable to abuse
by those who were more interested in wielding power than in the preservation of liberty so the cornerstone of his philosophy on political leadership is cemented by his concept of
the separation of powers into executive, legislative and judicial branches (Lafrance, 1988). According to Montesquieu, this ensures that moderation and not radicalism dictates the course of leadership (Lafrance, 1988).
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