Separation Of Powers And Popular Sovereignty

The eighteenth century is the century of the Enlightenment and the outbreak of the bourgeois revolution. As the two leaders of the France Enlightenment , Montesquieu put forward "separation of powers" theory, Rousseau put forward "popular sovereignty" theory. Their common goal was to build a free, democratic, egalitarian bourgeois government, against the feudal autocracy, but Montesquieu more inclined to the pursuit of political freedom, and Rousseau emphasized political equality. Montesquieu was good at fact-finding and historical research, but Rousseau was good at the theoretical thinking, therefore , Montesquieu made the specific design of the system of preventing feudal autocracy, and Rousseau made the fundamental criticism of the feudal autocratic system, clarified the principle of political rights, and pointed out the channels of establishing legitimate government.Montesquieu and Rousseau's theory were built on the basis of the analysis of human nature. Montesquieu believed that peple are evil in nature, and any man who has power is led to abuse it , so that one cannot abuse power , power must check power by the arrangement of things, achieve the separation of powers; Rousseau believed that people are basically good, each person has a heart of compassion, as all members of the social contract enter into joint sovereignty and national, sovereignty are inseparable overall, which is the use of public will, public will always be correct and never be an error, but the government as the client of the sovereignty will be inclined to interfere with the sovereignty and public will, and it need to preserve the sovereign authority and ensure the people's legislative power. Rousseau made no specific design of the system, only set out the principles of political rights. Although there is a great difference of the doctrine of Montesquieu and Rousseau, but at the same time, there is a great similarity in stressing the separation of Legislative and executive power and the role of law in protecting freedom and equality.Montesquieu's "separation of powers" theory and Rousseau's "popular sovereignty" theory impetus to the political construction of the capitalist world and have a great contribution to the process of bourgeois democracy. Montesquieu's main contribution lies in providing a specific reference to System of capitalist countries, and Rousseau Promots the process of bourgeois democracy ideologically and accelerates the awakening of the people's democratic consciousness.