Montesquieu's Idea Of The Separation Of Power

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Society suffered for centuries from tyranny of the king, who took power over nations and ruled over all; the people, and the government itself. However, throughout several years of suffering through this tyranny and monarchy, a solution to this issue was created in the late 1700’s by the Enlightenment thinker Baron de Montesquieu. The term ‘trias politica’, also known as the separation of powers, greatly impacted its time, and remains to be just as important, if not more, today. Montesquieu created this idea of separation of powers after studying many years of successful government systems and finally came to the conclusion that government flourished when separated into varied branches. This sprouted the idea of the Separation of Powers, in …show more content…

The old idea of the separation of branches has proven to be able to solve modern day issues. However, recent issues have also proven to disregard the system, in which selfish needs over power and manipulate its uses. One example of this would be the over-empowerment of a singular branch within the government. A recent IRS scandal brought up the question as to whether or not the Presidential (executive) branch used the IRS to intimidate the opposite party, in which skepticism arose towards the “equality” of the separated branches. Another example of questionable equality of the balance of branches would be the passing of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (Obamacare) within 2008-10, which was a law passed without the consent of the other branches besides the executive. These are clear examples of how modern day issues can twist and ruin this ‘flawless’ system. These examples, however, show the greater need for the separation of powers in today’s government. As society has grown and evolved, the government’s people, their job being the voice of the people of the country, has turned into a way to achieve selfish wants for our representatives, creating an even more significant need for the separation of powers. As a whole, the separation of powers remains to be a vital part in our government system today. As society has grown and developed throughout the years, the government system has grown with it and adjusted to today’s issues and problems. The government, while it serves as a superior leader for our country, remains to be a service to the people, and has creates a voice for all people to have. It allows everyone to be acknowledged and equal, no matter the

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