MONTESQUIEU, ROUSSEAU AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

STANOVČIĆ Vojislav (Member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts),

two great thinkers of the XVIII century – Montesquieu (1689–1755) and Rousseau (1712–1778) – developed new and specific ideas and published literary, historical, sociological, political, legal, philosophical works. their works and doctrines were contradistinguished. Both authors passed away, but later their ideas were implemented as active ideologues and leaders, with different results. More efficient were those who implemented ideas and engaged liberal ideologues, enlighteners, lawyers, politicians, revolutionaries in the French Revolution. Successors of Montesquieu’s and Rousseau’s ideas, successfully implanted ideas-values in the ‘Déclaration des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen’. Girondins accepted basic ideas from Montesquieu, and Jacobins from Rousseau. two sides with opposite conceptions and political systems and democracy. One side claimed legality and human rights; and the other – people’s sovereignty and revolution. the moderate liberal constitutionalist ideas were inspired by Montesquieu’s works succeeded and in history achieved results. these ideas were man’s freedom, spirit of laws, constitutionalism and its framework, separation of powers, representative democracy, federalism - and Girondins were active in mentioned ideas and early years of the Revolution. Jacobins based ideological programs on the ground of Rousseau’s ideas: equality, ‘forcing people to be free,’ ‘the general will’, people’s sovereignty defined as ‘absolute, indivisible and inalienable,’ the principle of unity power (government), ‘despotism of virtue’, mass political actions. the French Revolution experienced some features like the English Civil War. But, the mixture of some ideas of Montesquieu and Rousseau was used in ‘Declaration’ (1789), and the French Constitution of 1791. the American founding fathers incorporated some ideas from Montesquieu for American Constitution, like federalism, separation of powers, etc. the ideas of Montesquieu were paradigmatic and successful in establishing institutions in many countries. Some Rousseau’s ideas were radical, supported by left movements but were not successful (Corsica, Poland, and different leftists up today).

Keywords: constitutionalism, spirit of laws, human rights, separation of powers, federalism; absolute sovereignty of people, equality, social contract, despotism of ‘virtue’