Montesquieu and Modern Republicanism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6345016 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robin Douglas (0000-0002-0939-6211, University of Exeter, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 703-719 |
| Publication date | 2012-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2011.00932.x |
| OpenAlex | W1676393586 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
| References cited | 24 |
In this article I explore Montesquieu's discussion of republics and the constitution of England in order to question the extent to which he should be accorded a central place in a tradition of modern republicanism. This involves challenging Paul Rahe's recent thesis that Montesquieu thought both that monarchy was not at all suited to modernity and that England was a republic all along. By stressing the importance of honour and ambition I argue that the liberty that Montesquieu thought exemplified in the English constitution was, in large part, secured by its monarchical principle. Moreover, by eschewing the relevance of political virtue for modern commercial societies, Montesquieu set his own proposals out in opposition to the prevalent French republican discourse of his time; thus it is highly problematic to view him as having proposed a republic for the moderns. The article also serves to disentangle Montesquieu's understanding of political liberty from his analysis of republics in order to refute the idea that he provides support for a distinctively republican conception of liberty as non-domination. This undermines the republican critique of liberalism set forth by Philip Pettit, which is further challenged by considering the affinities between Montesquieu's and Constant's conceptions of liberty. Many commentators have argued that Montesquieu repudiated classical republicanism, yet on the reading advanced in this article it is equally problematic to view him as a modern republican
Constitution · Epistemology · Honour · Liberalism · Modernity · Monarchy · Opposition (politics · Order (exchange · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · The Republic · Virtue · American Constitutional Law and Politics · European Political History Analysis · Law · Philosophy · Political Theory and Influence
The Spirit of Democracy
Adam Smith and the conspiracy of the merchants
Adam Smith and the idea of free government
The Eurocentrism of neo-Roman republicanism and the neglect of republican empire
Montesquieu’s Dur-Commerce thesis
Distance Learning
On the Liberty of the English
Liberty, Nondomination, Markets
Was Montesquieu a Liberal Republican
Oriental Despotism and the Limits of Doux Commerce, from Montesquieu to Raynal
What Is French Liberalism
Arsehole aristocracy (or)
The Commonwealth of Oceana and A System of Politics
The Greek Tradition in Republican Thought
Montesquieu's Philosophy of Liberalism
Liberty before Liberalism
Liberal Beginnings
Two Concepts of Liberty
Hobbes and Republican Liberty
Before the Deluge
Machiavelli and Republicanism
Republicanism
Keeping Republican Freedom Simple
Virtuous Republics and Glorious Monarchies
Transformations of Classical Republicanism in Eighteenth-Century France
The Machiavellian Moment
| Unique citing works | 12 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2024 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |