Who is the author of "El espíritu de las Leyes "("The Spirit of Laws")?

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu(1689-1755), referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French lawyer, man of letters, and political philosopher who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He was an enemy of the despotic governments, incarnated by the French Monarchist Absolutism. His work transcends his contribution to the rise of modern states and the foundations of modern democracies. He proposed the division of powers in Executive, Legislative and Judicial functions of government, arguing that for no reason should all power fall into the hands of a single individual, establishing a balance of powers. It explains that the Laws must be adapted to the nature of each nation, taking into account their geographic, historical, political, religious and social factors.

Montesquieu spent about twenty one years researching and writing De l'esprit des lois, covering a huge range of topics including law, social life and the study of anthropology, and providing more than 3,000 commendations. In this treatise Montesquieu argued that political institutions needed, for their success, to reflect the social and geographical aspects of the particular community. He pleaded for a constitutional system of government with separation of powers, the preservation of legality and civil liberties, and the ending of slavery. His approach to politics from a naturalistic or scientific point of view proved very influential, inspiring modern fields of political science.