In Book III, chapter 5 of the Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu claims “that
in a monarchy it is extremely difficult for the people to be virtuous”.
Fortunately, a monarchy could achieve “great things with as little virtue
as possible”.
Why did Montesquieu think a political system could so flourish if no one
practiced virtue? Can you think of any other institutions that operate on
the assumption that the individuals participating in the institution will
not behave virtuously? (The institution you propose need not be a political
institution.)