Who among the following divided government into ҒepublicanҠҍonarchialҠand ҄espoticҿ

Montesquieu, the French political philosopher, famously classified governments into three distinct types: republican, monarchical, and despotic. In his seminal work, 'The Spirit of the Laws' (1748), he defined a republic as a system where the people (democracy) or a part of the people (aristocracy) possess supreme power. A monarchy is characterized by a single person governing through fixed and established laws, whereas a despotic government involves a single individual directing everything by their own will and caprice without legal checks. He further associated each form with a specific 'principle' or motivating passion: virtue for republics, honor for monarchies, and fear for despotisms. This classification was central to his broader theory on the separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches to prevent tyranny [1].

Sources

1. [1] India and the Contemporary World - I. History-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: The French Revolution > Activity > p. 7