Separation of powers, also known as separation of powers, is the organizational principle of the basic political system in western capitalist countries. Its core is that legislative power, executive power and judicial power are independent of each other and check and balance each other. In practice, the separation of powers means that administrative, judicial and legislative powers belong to three different government agencies, with equal status and checks and balances. It is a kind of democratic political thought widely adopted by capitalist democratic countries in the world. The theoretical history was first put forward by John Locke, a famous British political scientist, in the17th century, aiming at separating the executive from the legislature in order to consolidate the achievements of the British bourgeois revolution at that time. Later, the theory spread continuously and was interpreted by Montesquieu, a famous French figure, as a form of separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers, which solved some possible problems under this political system. At that time, the theory was widely regarded as a powerful guarantee of democratic system. The theoretical basis of the system of separation of powers is the theory of separation of powers put forward by Locke, a British bourgeois political thinker, and Montesquieu, a French bourgeois enlightenment scholar, during the bourgeois revolution in Western Europe in the17-18th century. This theory is based on the theoretical premise that absolute power leads to absolute corruption, so state power should be separated and balanced. Bourgeois thinkers hope to build a democratic country ruled by law. After the bourgeois revolution in Britain and France and the American War of Independence, the separation of powers became the fundamental principle for the bourgeoisie to establish a state system. In contemporary times, although the political system of western countries has undergone great changes, the separation of powers is still a fundamental feature. I hope it will help you: Charles de Dida (Baron de Montesquieu) (1689- 1755) was born in a noble family in Vieux, Label, near Bordeaux. Great French enlightenment thinker and jurist. Montesquieu was not only a famous thinker in the French Enlightenment in the18th century, but also one of the early scholars in modern European countries who systematically studied the ancient oriental society and legal culture. Although his works are few, they have a wide influence, especially the Spirit of Law, which laid the foundation for the development of modern western political and legal theories and greatly influenced Europeans' views on eastern political and legal culture. In addition, it also includes Montesquieu's classic Letters to Persians published in 172 1 year under the pseudonym "Bohr maddox" and The Reasons for the Rise and Fall of Rome published in 1734. Montesquieu Chronology 1689 65438+ 10/8. Montesquieu, the representative of the French Enlightenment and the founder of bourgeois state theory and legal theory, was born in Labrette Manor near Bordeaux, France. Montesquieu received a good education from an early age. /kloc-at the age of 0/9, he obtained the Bachelor of Laws degree and became a lawyer. Since 17 14, he has been an adviser to the bordeaux court. 17 16, he inherited the position of president of bordeaux court (his grandfather and uncle always held this position) and was awarded the title of baron. Montesquieu is a well-read man with profound attainments in law, history, philosophy and natural science, and has written many related papers. 172 1 year, Montesquieu published a famous Persian letter under the pseudonym "Bohr Madoff". Through the story of two Persians who roamed France, this book exposes and criticizes the evils of feudal society, and outlines the faces of all kinds of people in the upper class of France in an ironic style, such as dissolute and shameless priests, boastful salon gentlemen, arrogant and ignorant dignitaries, and sluts in politics. The book also expresses hatred for Louis XIV, saying that France is more autocratic than the East. This book is very popular. 1726, he betrayed the hereditary position of the president of bordeaux court and moved to Paris to concentrate on writing and research. I have wandered many European countries, especially Britain for more than two years, inspected the British political system, carefully studied the works of early enlightenment thinkers, and was elected as a member of the Royal Society. 173 1 After returning to France, he devoted himself to writing. 1734, he published "On the Reasons for the Rise and Fall of Rome", and expounded his political views with ancient Roman historical materials. 1748, his most important and influential book "On the Spirit of Law" was published. This is a comprehensive work on political science. This book is very popular, with 22 editions published in two years. Montesquieu opposed theology and advocated science, but he was not an atheist or materialist. He is a deist. His most important contribution is the theory of bourgeois state and law, and he clearly put forward the theory of "separation of three powers" on the basis of Locke's thought of separation of three powers; He particularly emphasized the role of law. He believes that law is the embodiment of rationality, which is divided into natural law and man-made law. Natural law is a law that existed before the establishment of human society, when human beings were in an equal state. Man-made law includes political law and civil law. Montesquieu advocated bourgeois freedom and equality, but at the same time stressed that the realization of freedom should be limited by law, and political freedom is not what you want to do. He said, "Freedom is the right to do everything permitted by law; If a citizen can do what is forbidden by law, he no longer has freedom. Because others will also have this right. " It also puts forward "geographical environment determinism", which holds that climate will have a great influence on a nation's character, feelings, morality and customs, and soil has a very close relationship with residents' character, especially with the political system of the country, and the size of a country's territory is closely related to the political system of the country. 1755, he fell ill and died during the journey. Overview of ideological influence Montesquieu lived in the late 17 era and the early 18 century. At this time, French feudalism and absolute monarchy were in a period of rapid decline from the peak of development. The ruling class oppressed the broad masses of people by extremely cruel means. The imperial court and nobles were extremely extravagant, but the people struggled in hunger and cold. The long-term war and tyranny have caused peasant uprisings one after another, and the political and economic crisis has intensified. The industrial revolution is gradually emerging in France, and the conflict between the interests of the industrial bourgeoisie and absolutism is increasingly acute, and the time for bourgeois revolution is further mature. In addition, the revolution in the ideological field has also made full ideological preparations for the formation of Montesquieu theory. British Bacon's experimentalism and French Descartes' rationalism had a far-reaching influence on him. A large number of progressive historians, scientists, philosophers, writers and progressives clamored for the emerging bourgeoisie, and they lashed out at the decadent feudal social order. The view of British bourgeois revolution is also widely accepted. All these laid a solid social foundation for the birth of On the Spirit of Law. Montesquieu deserves to be the son of his own time. He stood at the forefront of the times and struggled for the interests of the emerging bourgeoisie all his life. His life is the life of a soldier. He bravely attacked the decadent and reactionary feudal absolutism and religious monasticism with sharp writing and wit. His life is the life of a scholar. Throughout his life, he tirelessly explored many problems in various scientific fields and wrote many valuable works, especially the masterpiece "On the Spirit of Law". Because he was born in a noble family, the prosperous bourgeoisie in France18th century was a moderate representative politically, and because he could not see the great power of the people, he was obviously incomplete and compromised ideologically. On the one hand, he mercilessly exposed and profoundly criticized feudal absolutism, on the other hand, he compromised with it and put forward the idea of constitutional monarchy. On the one hand, he struggled with religious monks; on the other hand, he was not an atheist, but a deist. Although he put forward the law and motive force of social development more profoundly than many other enlightenment thinkers, he could not solve this problem correctly, and he was still an idealist in social view. Because Montesquieu's thought has this duality, after his death, his thought naturally caused different reactions in different social classes and was treated differently. All representatives of reactionary classes and thinkers always try to use Montesquieu's incompleteness and compromise to serve their reactionary political goals. Representatives of all advanced classes and thinkers always treat Montesquieu's ideological legacy with a positive attitude. They not only fully affirmed Meng's great achievements in the struggle against feudal absolutism and Catholic theology, but also pointed out his compromise and incompleteness in these struggles. They fully affirmed Meng's great contribution to sociological research, but also pointed out his shortcomings and mistakes in sociological research. Meng De's thought has a great influence on the theoretical formation of later thinkers. Meng's criticism of feudal absolutism and religious theology, his theory of natural law and his judgment of freedom, equality and private ownership had an important influence on French materialists such as Diderot, Holbach and helvetius, although they greatly surpassed their predecessors in many aspects. Meng's social and political thoughts, especially the thoughts of legal system, separation of powers and constitutional monarchy, also have different degrees of influence on German classical philosophers Kant, Schelling and Hegel. He believes that autocracy is one of the three basic forms of government, which makes autocracy a central theme in the political thought of18th century. Moreover, he was the first western thinker to classify China as "autocratic". Therefore, Montesquieu is regarded as "the first person to mold China into a world model in a negative way" ... providing a different image of China for France and Europe. Although his theory was opposed by many contemporary thinkers at that time, with the passage of time, it gradually became the basic premise for westerners to look at China. /kloc-The 8th century witnessed a fundamental change in the western view of China, that is, from "pro-China" to "fear of China". In addition, he also believes that absolutism is the characteristic of Asian countries. (See Hou Xudong: Intellectual Archaeology of China's Ancient Dictatorship Theory) His views were later accepted and abused by some westerners. Mende's theory had a great and far-reaching influence on the world bourgeois revolutionary chattel. His theory was once used by bourgeois revolutionaries in Europe and America as a sharp weapon against feudal tyranny, especially his theory on decentralization and legal system was directly adopted by some bourgeois countries. At that time, most French writers described distant China as a paradise, and criticized the autocracy of the Chinese Empire with the spirit of law. Montesquieu once talked with a stranded China sailor in Rouen, and got his own understanding with a rigorous attitude. Although his view is inevitably biased, it is closer to the truth than his contemporaries, and it also enriches the materials of On the Spirit of Law.