Answer:
A. the separation of powers between branches of government
Step-by-step explanation:
In his work, The Spirit of the Laws (1748), Montesquieu developed and promoted the idea that the government should be separated into three different branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial, all of which should rule under the law and must check each other’s power in order to prevent corruption and abuses of power. This principle has been one of the bases of the US Constitution since its ratification in 1788.