He defended the constitutional monarchy as the most honorable system of government, claiming that "liberty is the stepchild of privilege."
He defended the constitutional monarchy as the most honorable system of government, claiming that "liberty is the stepchild of privilege." His 1734 Considerations of the Grandeur and Decadence of the Romans illustrates how a democracy without public virtues perishes in tyranny. His 1721 Persian Letters satirize French society through the eyes of two visitors, and the framers of the U.S. Constitution drew heavily from his idea of "checks and balances," a term which he coined in his landmark 1748 treatise. For 10 points, name this French author of The Spirit of Laws.
He defended the constitutional monarchy as the most honorable system of government, claiming that "liberty is the stepchild of privilege."
Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de la Brède et de {Montesquieu}