Question

Why is it important to prevent the accumulation of too much governmental power in one branch, group, or person?

(a) Open-ended response
(b) To prevent corruption
(c) To maintain checks and balances
(d) None of the above

Answer 1

It is important to prevent too much governmental power in one branch to avoid corruption and maintain checks and balances, ensuring democratic principles are upheld and that no single entity becomes too powerful or abusive.

Step-by-step explanation:

Preventing the accumulation of too much governmental power in one branch, group, or person is crucial for a number of reasons. Firstly, to prevent corruption, which tends to increase when power is concentrated. Excessive power in the hands of a few can lead to abuses and a disregard for the rule of law and public interest. Secondly, it is to maintain a system of checks and balances, which is a foundational principle of democratic governance. This system requires each branch of government to have some authority to check the actions of the others and to necessitate their cooperation, ensuring no single branch becomes too dominant. The Founders created a mixed form of government intended to prevent the corruption by power problem seen in other forms of governance, such as in a monarchy, aristocracy, or democracy, which can decay into tyranny, oligarchy, or mobocracy.