Constitutionalism

Question 1

What are liberals convinced of?

Answer 1

The need for government

Question 2

What do liberals recognise?

Answer 2

The dangers that government embodies

Question 3

What are all governments?

Answer 3

Potential tyrannies against the individual

Question 4

How is government a potential tyranny?

Answer 4

Since government exercises sovereign power it poses a constant threat to individual liberty

Question 5

Finish the equation:

Egoism + power = ??

Answer 5

Corruption

Question 6

What did Lord Acton say about power?

Answer 6

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely

Question 7

What did Lord Acton say about men?

Answer 7

Great men are almost always bad men

Question 8

What do liberals fear?

Answer 8

Arbitrary government

Question 9

What do liberals uphold?

Answer 9

Limited government

Question 10

How can government be limited?

Answer 10

Through the establishment of constitutional constraints

Question 11

Define a constitution

Answer 11

A set of rules that seeks to allocate duties, powers and functions amongst the various institutions of government

Question 12

What does a constitution do?

Answer 12

Defines the extent of government power and limits its exercise

Question 13

What is the first form that support for constitutionalism can take?

Answer 13

For powers of government bodies and politicians to be limited through the introduction of external and usually legal constraints

Question 14

According to the first form of support for constitutionalism, what is the most important constraint?

What is this in some cases?

Answer 14

A codified constitution

A bill of rights

Question 15

What is the second form that support for constitutionalism can take?

Answer 15

Constitutionalism can be established by the introduction of internal restraints

Question 16

What do the second form of constraints’ internal restraints do?

Answer 16

Disperse power among a number of institutions and create a network of “checks and balances”

Question 17

What did Montesquieu say?

Answer 17

Power should be a check to power

Question 18

What do all liberal political systems exhibit?

Give an example

Answer 18

Some measure of internal fragmentation

Through separation of powers

Question 19

What does internal fragmentation seek to prevent?

Answer 19

Any individual or small group from gaining dictatorial power

Question 20

Give three other ways of fragmenting power?

Answer 20

Cabinet government

Federalism

Bicameralism

Question 21

Give three things the constitution defines

Answer 21

Power of state

Relationship between political institutions

Rights of a citizen