Montesquieu · Politics
Montesquieu’s vision of freedom in the modern world: liberty as security under law rather than the power to do anything; commerce as a softening, civilising, peace-making force; and moderation as the master art of free government.
You learned Montesquieu’s precise definition of political liberty and his theory of “gentle commerce.” Explain in your own words what liberty meant for him, and why he thought commerce tends to civilise and pacify.
Leads to Alexis de Tocqueville.
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