Separation Of Powers
Blessing Emefiele, John Perez.
Define
Separation of powers is a political doctrine originating in the writings of Montesquieu ( who was a French political thinker who articulated the theory of separation of powers) in The Spirit of the Laws where he urged for a constitutional government to have three branches if government that would define powers to check powers of other branches.
Detail
Cause: Aristotle first mentioned the idea of a "mixed government" or hybrid government in his work Politics where he drew upon many of the constitutional forms in the city-states of Ancient Greece. The normal division of branches is into a legislature, an executive, and a judiciary.
Characteristics: another name for it is "trias politica".
It inspired the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Constitution of the United States.
Significance: The intent is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances. This is significant because not just one person had all the power and let more than just one person make the decisions