Separation of Powers
Why they are a key feature of any democracy
The principle of the separation of powers dates back many centuries, to political philosophers such as Hobbes and Montesquieu. The basic aim is to avoid dictatorship in a democracy by building checks and balances into a constitution, in order to avoid the executive or legislative branches accumulating too much power. The independence of a third branch, namely the judiciary, is also a key element of this constitutional balancing act.
This short animated video, made by the Hamburg-based German production company Explainity, traces the historical origins of the separation of powers concept, before outlining how it works in practice in modern democracies.
