Comment about The Spirit of Laws

In the book "The Spirit of Laws", Montesquieu classified human's governments into 4 categories -- democracy, aristocracy, monarchy, and despotism. However, different from people today, Montesquieu regarded tradition and virtue as the most significant factor for a civilization to grow healthily. In his examples, even England, which produced the first democratic government all over the world, was crashing down without the respect of virtue. At last, England returned to the state of monarchy. Maybe it's the best case to testify his theory.

Nowadays, both the China Communism Party and the democracy supporters all regard democracy as an ultimate social architecture of China. It seems that once we have a democratic government, then all the problems can be easily resolved and our nation can be one of the most powerful countries all over the world.

However, it's not true. In the book, Montesquieu wrote the following paragraph --

"When virtue is banished, ambition invades the minds of those who are disposed to receive it, and avarice possesses the whole community. The objects of their desires are changed; what they were fond of before has become indifferent; they were free while under the restraint of laws, but they would fain now be free to act against law; and as each citizen is like a slave who has run away from his master, that which was a maxim of equity he calls rigour; that which was a rule of action he styles constraint; and to precaution he gives the name of fear. Frugality, and not the thirst of gain, now passes for avarice. Formerly the wealth of individuals constituted the public treasure; but now this has become the patrimony of private persons. The members of the commonwealth riot on the public spoils, and its strength is only the power of a few, and the licence of many. "

To support his conclusion, he took Ancient Greece as an example. "The politic Greeks, who lived under a popular government, knew no other support than virtue. The modern inhabitants of that country are entirely taken up with manufacture, commerce, finances, opulence, and luxury."

For me, China after 1644 A.D. is another perfect example to explain this conclusion. When Manchu nation conquered China, they enforced Chinese people to take off Chinese clothing and cut off their hair and bun. The whole nation became slaves of Manchu for over 250 years. And when Chinese ended the Manchu government and restored the country, they found that almost all the virtues had gone from Chinese people. They became avaricious, timid, and impassive about the nation. What's worse, such characters have not been diminished until today!

So before we call for democracy, we should first treat the wound of our nation, restore the national spirit and culture. Only when Chinese people can achieve a common sense of being a Chinese, then we can start to talk about how to be a modern and democratic nation.