Notes of The Spirit of Laws (Book III)

Republic: classified into democracy & aristocracy -- citizens should have virtue to process public affairs. Ambition is harmful for the public.

Monarchy: virtue is not the spring of the government, but the honour. Ambition gives life to the government, and it is led to constrains.

Despotic: fear of the sovereign is the principal. Prince is not regarded as a man. He himself is the law. The only exception is religion.

My thoughts:

China may be an exception among these three kinds of government. Before Manchu's sovereign, China was on the process from original monarchy to constitutional monarchy. However, it still has remainder of despotic factors.