Montesquieu: Separation of Powers

Voltaire: Establishing a Constitutional Monarchy

Rousseau: Theory of Social Contract, Theory of Popular Sovereignty

< p>Voltaire: A leader among French Enlightenment thinkers. He did not completely get rid of the influence of theocratic thinking, and still advocated belief in God and retaining religion. In terms of attacking the Catholic Church, if compared with the attitude of Renaissance thinkers towards Catholicism, his thoughts are not completely new, but the degree and boldness of his ridicule, ridicule, and attack on Catholicism far exceed those of the Renaissance thinkers. thinker. He believed that the church caused ignorance and darkness in society and called for the struggle for science and progress. He also criticized the absolute monarchy, but hoped to implement reforms through an "enlightened" monarch.

Montesquieu: His representative work "The Spirit of the Laws" not only expresses the stance of criticizing the old French regime, but also enriches and develops Locke's idea of ??decentralization. The purpose of this doctrine is to balance the power within the state apparatus and restrict each other. It not only criticized the feudal autocracy, but also provided a feasible and reliable guarantee for the realization of the "freedom", "democracy" and "human rights" that the bourgeoisie strives for. laid the foundation. His doctrine of separation of powers had certain progressive significance in opposing the feudal autocracy.

Rousseau: "The Social Contract" inherited and developed the views of British Hobbes. Rousseau believed that people are born equal, and there are "public interests" in society where people share the same interests. In order to safeguard this interest, people must abide by the contract. He advocated that in the face of the social contract, people abide by the same restrictions and enjoy the same rights, thereby opposing autocracy and feudal hierarchy. He advocated that when a ruler tears up the social contract, the people have the right to overthrow him. This proposition not only opposed absolute monarchy, but also provided a revolutionary theory for the bourgeoisie. He believes that legislative power should belong to the people, and the people have the ability to establish laws that reflect the interests of the public. He clearly put forward the theory of "people's sovereignty" and opposed the theory of divine right of kings. While he opposed the autocratic monarchy, he also opposed anyone violating the public will for personal gain.