The politics effects of geography - comparison of the views of Ibn Khaldun and Montesquieu

Three factors are needed to scientifically deal with a historical phenomenon: time, space and people. But the general trend is to look at events on a historical scale. The size of the space where the happens on is overlooked. Space; not passive, dynamic and changeable. It is influential on individuals and society, which are the main factors of social and political events. The most concrete expression of space dimension is geography. Geography consists of various elements which are not distributed homogeneously on the earth. Therefore, depending on development levels, it influences each individual and society in different ways. This influence has attracted many thinkers in the history. Among these thinkers, Ibni Khaldun and Montesquieu come to the forefront. Because these two thinkers are the first thinkers to systematically and comprehensively deal with the relationship between geography and politics in their own civilizations. Ibni Khaldun describes the influences of geography on social issues in detail by classifying the world according to climate regions. He asserted that extreme heat or extreme cold influences the individual and society in the negative way. According to Ibni Khaldun, these influences have caused social and political differences. Montesquieu explains the differences between Western society and other societies through the climate. He also noted that other geographical factors could influence these differences. According to Montesquieu geography is the main reason for the differences in societies development. Both thinkers did not ignore the people factor. However, they argued that humanity are influenced by geographical factors directly and indirectly.