What is so important about Montesquieu?

Question: What is so important about Montesquieu!?

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Montesquieu was one of the great political philosophers of the Enlightenment!. Insatiably curious and mordantly funny, he constructed a naturalistic account of the various forms of government, and of the causes that 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!.

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I summarized the important thing about Montesquieu from Wikipedia (see more for complete version)

Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (Eng!. /?m?nt??skyu/; 18 January 1689 in Bordeaux – 10 February 1755), was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Era of the Enlightenment!. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, taken for granted in modern discussions of government and implemented in many constitutions throughout the world!. He was largely responsible for the popularization of the terms feudalism and Byzantine Empire!.

Montesquieu's philosophy that "government should be set up so that no man need be afraid of another" reminded Madison and others that a free and stable foundation for their new national government required a clearly defined and balanced separation of powers!.
Montesquieu's most influential work divided French society into three classes (or trias politica, a term he coined): the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the commons!. Montesquieu saw two types of governmental power existing: the sovereign and the administrative!. The administrative powers were the executive, the legislative, and the judicial!. These should be separate from and dependent upon each other so that the influence of any one power would not be able to exceed that of the other two, either singly or in combination!.
This political views have huge impact on political and laws on many countries!.

Likewise, there were three main forms of government, each supported by a social "principle": monarchies (free governments headed by a hereditary figure, e!.g!. king, queen, emperor), which rely on the principle of honor; republics (free governments headed by popularly elected leaders), which rely on the principle of virtue; and despotisms (enslaved governments headed by dictators), which rely on fear!. The free governments are dependent on fragile constitutional arrangements!. Montesquieu devotes four chapters of The Spirit of the Laws to a discussion of England, a contemporary free government, where liberty was sustained by a balance of powers!. Montesquieu worried that in France the intermediate powers (i!.e!., the nobility) which moderated the power of the prince were being eroded!.

Montesquieu political views (mainly trias politica) have huge impact on political and laws of many countries!Www@QuestionHome@Com