Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #413110 in Books
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 248 pages

Review
"It is wonderful to have David Lowenthal's splendid translation of Montesquieu's Considerations on the Causes of The Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline back in print. This neglected masterpiece deserves attention from all who are concerned with self-government -- whether their focus is on its history or on its prospects in our own time." -- Paul A Rahe, Jay P Walker Professor of History, University of Tulsa.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About the Author
Montesquieu; Translated by David Lowenthal

Customer Reviews

A Succinct and Readable analysis of Roman History
A book far too often ignored by modern readers. Montesquieu presents a succinct and readable analysis of the history of the Roman Republic and Empire. For both the layperson and the scholar interested in Roman History this is an essential read. He presents the reasons for the the spread of Rome's empire, the fall of the Republic, and the long duration and eventual collapse of the empire in a clear fashion. He goes through Roman history chronologically and shows how these causes relate to specific events. Edward Gibbon praises Montesquieu in his memoirs, and after reading his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, it is easy to see how the theses presented here on religion and the military may have influenced Gibbon's own conclusions.

Concise but thorough, a worthwhile read.
Montesquieu's "Considerations..." is a refreshing change of pace from the usual, long winded, dry books on Roman history. It is a concise, clear, chronologically presented work, but still manages to be quite thorough in examining a variety of the causes behind the rise and fall of the Romans. The author touches on the social, military, economic and moral factors that made the Romans great, and in the end led to collapse of their empire. I can recommend it as a worthwhile read to those of you interested in the history of the Romans.