Emily Agnew
AP Gov & Politics Per. 3
Ms. Gordon
October 2, 2015
Separate Powers Cures Blocking Factional Control
The theory of separate powers is a cure to blocking factional control. Factions, which are the parties created when broken away from a major party are threatening to the government. A french theorist named Montesquieu argued that "the power of government could be controlled by dividing it among separate branches rather than investing it entirely in a single individual or institution." (Patterson p.38). This idea was called separation of powers. In Federalist No. 10, Madison ponders the strategy of favoring the majorities, rather than what is just. Every citizen differentiates their own opinions; in which factions are created. Citizen's natural rights and freedom to express opinions are absolute rights. However, if a certain faction obtained power, it would try to use the government to forward itself at the expense of everyone else. Separation of powers prevents this from occuring. Dividing the government in a way in which "granting all legislative power to the legislature, all judicial power to the courts, and all executive power to the presidency. This total separation would make it too easy for a single faction to exploit a particular type of political power." (Patterson p.39). Each branch of government has the complete power to check or regulate other branches. The branches have to work together, which helps "compromise" and "moderate".
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