<P> A second major theme in De l'esprit des lois concerns political liberty and the best means of preserving it . "Political liberty" is Montesquieu's concept of what we might call today personal security, especially in so far as this is provided for through a system of dependable and moderate laws . He distinguishes this view of liberty from two other misleading views of political liberty . The first is the view that liberty consists in collective self - government--i.e. that liberty and democracy are the same . The second is the view that liberty consists in being able to do whatever one wants without constraint . Not only are these latter two not genuine political liberty, he thinks, they can both be hostile to it . </P> <P> Political liberty is not possible in a despotic political system, but it is possible, though not guaranteed, in republics and monarchies . Generally speaking, establishing political liberty on a sound footing requires two things: </P> <Ul> <Li> The separation of the powers of government . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The separation of the powers of government . </Li>

Montesquieu's the spirit of laws emphasized the importance of