Montesquieu's Power

In modern day society, very few absolute monarchies stand till date because it has become evident that when power lies with one person, it is very easy to lose control of the people. The countries which have established economies and whose citizens are content with the laws are those where power is distributed among many more people. In the book William Golding’s Lord Of the Flies, a group of boys are stranded on an island and have to govern themselves. The boys undergo various power struggles, and are not able to govern themselves in an effective manner. By the time they are rescued, the boys divide into two rival groups and try to fulfill their own needs, which results in the deaths of two innocent boys who were part of the group. In On
Montesquieu was a French philosopher who believed in the distribution of power amongst many people, as a single person with power lowers the social position of the rest. Montesquieu believed that the authority of the leadership must be divided in an effective manner. He argued that power must completely not lie with everyone, as it creates chaos, but should be spread apart into three branches. Each of those branches possess power, but use it in different ways to make the society. Most of all, Montesquieu believed in a government that was elected by the people, or a democracy (Bok 4.1). Ralph’s decision to take complete power completelydirectly contrasts with Montesquieu’s idea of a democracy, which results in the boys splitting into two groups. The first mistake was made when the boys decided to have one chief, Ralph. Because Ralph was the only one with power, the boys started to have disagreements, which soon led to Jack and a few others getting frustrated with Ralph. Jack accused Ralph, “‘You haven’t got it with you,’ said Jack, sneering. ‘You left it behind. See, clever? And the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island’… ‘Who’ll join my tribe?” (Golding
The two primary elements lacking from the boys’ island government are a proper punishment system and a separation of powers, which Beccaria and Montesquieu believed were vital in the creation of a successful government. William Golding clearly conveys the message that a well-established society always has a government which is effectively run by the people. He clearly shows many examples of how any other form of government can satisfy its members as effectively as a government run of the people, for the people, and by the people