Just as there must be virtue in a republic and honor in a monarchy, there must be FEAR in a despotic government. Virtue is not at all necessary to it and honor would be dangerous.
The prince’s immense power passes intact to
those to whom he entrusts it. People
capable of much self-esteem would be in a position to cause revolutions. Therefore, fear must
beat down everyone’s courage and extinguish even the slightest feeling of
ambition.[1]
Montesquieu,
The Spirit of the Laws (1748)
[1] Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, ed. and tr. Anne Cohler, Basia Miller,
Harold Stone (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), p. 28 (Book 3,
Chapter 9).
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