Book 2, Part 4 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 11, "Of the Different Systems of Legislation"

The content of this chapter can be summed up in a quote: "...[B]esides the general maxims of legislation which apply to all, there are particular circumstances confined to each people which must influence their application in a particular way, and render their legislation proper only for themselves." The author suggests that this precept be applied not only to the large, unifying state, but also to the individual communities within the state. Law, he says, should be different for those who live in shipping communities on the sea and for those who live in mountainous agricultural communities. He concludes this chapter with a suggestion that unless natural circumstances are taken into account by the legislator, laws will be weak and the state will ultimately remain in a state of agitation and uncertainty...