montesquieu propounded the principle of checks and balances.
who propounded the principle of checks and balances?
montesquieu
checks and balances are designed to maintain the system of separation of powers keeping each branch in its place. this is based on the idea that it is not enough to separate the powers and guarantee their independence but to give the various branches the constitutional means to defend their own legitimate powers from the encroachments of the other branches. they guarantee that the powers of the state have the same weight (co-equal), that is, to be balanced, so that they can limit each other, avoiding the abuse of state power. the origin of checks and balances, like separation of powers itself, is specifically credited to montesquieu in the enlightenment (in the spirit of the laws, 1748), under this influence was implemented in 1787 in the constitution of the united states.
separation of powers
federalist no. 51, titled: "the structure of the government must furnish the proper checks and balances between the different departments", is an essay by james madison, the fifty-first of "the federalist papers". this document was published on february 8, 1788, under the pseudonym publius, the name under which all "the federalist" papers were published. federalist no. 51 addresses means by which appropriate checks and balances can be created in government and also advocates a separation of powers within the national government. this idea of checks and balances became a crucial document in the establishment of the modern u.s. system of checks and balances. one of its most important ideas, an explanation of check and balances, is the often quoted phrase, "ambition must be made to counteract ambition."
federalist no. 51