Why and how have liberals supported the fragmentation of political power? (15)

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Why and how have liberal supported the fragmentation of political power? (15)

In the liberal view, power tends to corrupt human beings as they believe humans are essentially self-seeking and are therefore likely to use any position of power to pursue their own interests, probably at the expense of others. The greater the concentration of power, the greater the incentive people have to both benefit themselves and use others to this end. This is why absolute power plus egoism leads to corruption and one of the reasons why liberals have supported the fragmentation of political power. A quote by Lord Acton was that ‘power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ Liberals therefore fear arbitrary government and uphold the principle of limited government. Liberals believe government can be limited through the establishment of constitutional constraints and by democracy.

Liberals believe in the fragmentation of political power as it has many advantages. It ensures that those who exercise power have only a limited ability to influence other citizens, thus preventing absolute power. Absolute power leads to corruption and possibly a dictatorship this is something liberals try to stray away from as John Rawls expressed the principle that everyone is entitled to the widest possible liberty consistent with a like liberty for all, if a concentration of power was present in society then this principle would not be allowed to flourish. Another advantage and reason why liberals believe in the fragmentation of political power is the fact that it creates a network of checks and balances, ensuring that power is a check on power. Fragmented government therefore creates internal constraints that prevent government from becoming a tyranny against the individual and allowing people freedom. It also creates a network of power in different places which means that power can be spread around different figures and institutions that all help to regulate and scrutinise each other’s actions. This helps to limit power of any one individual or institution. The central theme of the liberal ideology is a commitment to the individual and the desire to construct a society in which people can satisfy their interests and achieve fulfilment. Therefore these advantages construct a society in which people can satisfy their interests and achieve fulfilment as there is no corruption with the bodies of power as power is fragmented.

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Liberals have supported the fragmentation of political power by having a constitution. A constitution is a set of rules that govern the government itself and defines the extent of government power and limits its exercise. The power of government bodies and politicians can be limited by external and legal constraints. A codified constitution codifies the major powers and responsibilities of government institutions within a single authorative document. A codified constitution codifies higher law. The first codified constitution was the US constitution but now all liberal democracies have one except for the UK, Israel and New Zealand.

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