A true political summation, On the Spirit of the Laws (1748) is Montesquieu’s masterpiece. The author engages in reflection on the different governments, a survey of human societies and a comparative analysis of laws, in order to train everyone to evaluate legislative intervention. By attempting to grasp the “spirit of the laws” – or the relationships that the laws have with the climate, religion, morals, wealth and commerce of each people – he offers a new way of understanding social reality. This anthology, which brings together and presents the most famous books of The Spirit of Laws, allows the reader to understand the main philosophical issues of this essential work.