Lessons from the land of Liberty.

The article discusses the influence of the English Civil Wars and Great Britain's Glorious Revolution on the French Revolution a century later. All three conflicts' invocation of popular sovereignty and natural rights is explained, as is the influence of the English political system on the thought of French philosopher Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. The executions of English King Charles I and French King Louis XVI are also compared. The author also emphasizes the influence of political philosopher James Harrington's work on republics on the development of the French constitution.