270 years ago today, on February 10, 1755 (December 30, 1754 lunar calendar), Montesquieu, the French bourgeois Enlightenment thinker and jurist, died. Montesquieu (1689-1755), French jurist and bourgeois Enlightenment thinker. Born on January 18, 1689, in a noble family in La Brette, near Bordeaux, France. In 1716, he took the title of baron and served as the president of the court of Bordeaux. In 1726, he moved to Paris. In 1728, he joined the French Academy of Sciences and traveled to European countries for another 3 years. He had an in-depth understanding and investigation of the political laws, national systems, and folk customs of various countries. In 1734, his "On the Causes of the Rise and Fall of Rome" was published, which shocked the whole of Europe. In 1748, he published "On the Spirit of Law" (also translated as "France and Italy"). In this article, he argues that the spirit and content of the law are of paramount importance in every country. The means to ensure the rule of law is the "separation of powers," that is, the legislative, executive, and judicial powers belong to three different state organs, which check each other and balance power. The "separation of powers theory" had a significant impact on the constitution-making work of the United States and France in the late 18th century, and became the basic principle of bourgeois political system and legislative thought. Montesquieu died of illness in Paris on February 10, 1755, at the age of 66.