Montesquieu lived in France in the ti

Eventually, however, the revolution took a more radical turn, and if we go back to Montesquieu?s main theory of government?separation of powers, it is obvious that this phase of the French Revolution did not fit with his idea. Government would work best, Montesquieu thought, if it were separated into three equal (yet different) branches. One would create laws, one would interpret them, and one would enforce them. During the radical phase of revolution, the Committee for Public Safety had almost absolute power over the people ?they created laws (no traitorous acts, for example), interpreted them (they decided what constituted treason, such as owning a book with the king?s seal, and decided what the penalty for such things were) and they enforced the laws (they executed the ?traitors,? about 40,000 people). The time in which the Committee was in control was later referred to as the Reign of Terror, and for good reason. The Committee abused their power and became tyrannical. Montesquieu would not have approved.

The French Revolution did not u

Some topics in this essay:
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