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Difficulty: EasyIdeals of Democracy

In Brutus No. 1, the author writes: 'Many instances can be produced where the people have voluntarily increased the powers of their rulers; but few, if any, in which rulers have willingly abridged their authority.' Which core democratic ideal is most directly supported by this statement?

  1. A
    The belief that all individuals are born with inherent rights that cannot be surrendered to a ruler
  2. The principle that the power of the government must be restricted to protect individual libertyAnswer
  3. C
    A system of government where citizens directly participate in making policy decisions
  4. D
    The belief that a large republic is the most effective way to prevent any single group from dominating politics

Answer

The principle that the power of the government must be restricted to protect individual liberty
The quote warns that rulers will naturally expand their power and rarely voluntarily limit it. This directly supports the concept of limited government, which asserts that governmental power must be restricted by a constitution and laws to protect the liberties of the people.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the quote provided in the stem
The quote warns that rulers naturally seek to expand their authority and will not voluntarily reduce it.
Understanding the source text's main argument is necessary to connect it to the correct democratic ideal.
2
Evaluate the democratic ideals against the quote's core message
Because rulers tend to consolidate and expand their power, the government's power must be explicitly restricted, which is the definition of limited government.
This links the historical argument in Brutus No. 1 to the concept of limited government.

Key Concept

Ideals of Democracy
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Ideals of Democracy

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