Question

write and essay on how Montesquieu makes a distinction between two types of republican governments: democratic and aristocratic. What distinguishes these two types of government (please discuss with respect to both their institutional form (nature) and their animating spirit (principle))? What are each republican form of government’s strengths and weaknesses?

Answer 1

First of all let us understand who was Montesquieu :- Montesquieu was one of the great political philosophers of the Enlightenment. He was Insatiably curious and mordantly funny. He constructed a naturalistic account of the various forms of government and made them what they were and that advanced or constrained their development. He used this account to explain how governments might be preserved from corruption. He saw Despotism in particular as a standing danger for any government not already despotic and argued that it could best be prevented by a system in which different bodies exercised legislative executive and judicial power and in which all those bodies were bound by the rule of law. This theory of the Separation of powers had an enormous impact on liberal political theory and on the framers of the constitution of the United States of America. Now lets understand about how Montesquieu made distinct between two types of republican government. Montesquieu tolds that there are three types of governments: 1 - Republican governments which can take either democratic or aristocratic forms. 2 - Monarchies and 3 - Despotisms. Unlike Aristotle Montesquieu does not distinguish forms of government on the basis of the virtue of the sovereign. The distinction between monarchy and despotism depends not on the virtue of the monarch but on whether or not he governs by fixed and established laws. Each form of government has a principle a set of human passions which set it in motion and each can be corrupted if its principle is undermined or destroyed. In a Democratic the people are sovereign. They may govern through ministers or be advised by a senate but they must have the power of choosing their ministers and senators for themselves. The principle of democracy is political virtue by which Montesquieu means the love of the laws and of our country including its democratic constitution. The form of a democratic government makes the laws governing suffrage and voting fundamental. The need to protect its principle however imposes far more extensive requirements. In Montesquieus view the virtue required by a functioning democracy is not natural. It requires a constant preference of public to private interest. it limits ambition to the sole desire to the sole happiness of doing greater services to our country than the rest of our fellow citizens and it is a self renunciation which is ever arduous and painful. In an Aristocracy one part of the people governs the rest. The principle of an aristocratic government is moderation the virtue which leads those who govern in an aristocracy to restrain themselves both from oppressing the people and from trying to acquire excessive power over one another. In an aristocracy the laws should be designed to instill and protect this spirit of moderation. To do so they must do three things. First the laws must prevent the nobility from abusing the people. The power of the nobility makes such abuse a standing temptation in an aristocracy. To avoid it the laws should deny the nobility some powers like the power to tax which would make this temptation all but irresistible and should try to foster responsible and moderate administration. Second the laws should disguise as much as possible the difference between the nobility and the people. So that the people feel their lack of power as little as possible. Third the laws should try to ensure equality among the nobles themselves and among noble families. When they fail to do so the nobility will lose its spirit of moderation and the government will be corrupted. Advantages of Republican System of Government :- 1 - The republican system of government is representative. In simple words representatives are elected to serve the common good and office holders are elected directly by the people themselves. 2 - A republican government is constitutional which means that everything that is done within the state and is done according to the tenets of the constitution. 3 - Having representatives make the laws more efficient which is faster and better. 4 - The people have a say in their government when they delegate power to representatives. 5 - Political authority is conferred on rulers and officials through election which makes a republican system of government democratic. The representatives are responsible to the people so in this case people can be voted out. Disadvantages of Republican System of Government :- 1 - Republican systems can be expensive to operate. Elections often require and consume a lot of resources to conduct. This can have an adverse effect in poorer countries. 2 - Republican government works best in small communities. 3 - Laws made by legislature must pass through certain laid down processes without which they could not become laws. As such conforming to the dictates of the constitution can therefore be time consuming. 4 - Republican people ideally cannot be diverse from one another. 5 - In a republican system there are sometimes many political parties contending for the control of the higher echelons of political power which could lead to serious contentions.