Which thinker argued that political power should be divided among three types of government: republics, monarchies, and despotisms, with checks and balances and separation of powers?

• A. Hobbes
• B. Montesquieu
• C. Locke
• D. Rousseau

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is the separation of power with checks and balances. Montesquieu argues that political power should be divided into distinct branches so that no single body can dominate, and each branch can restrain the others. In his framework, government types are categorized as republics, monarchies, and despotisms, but the crucial safeguard against tyranny is distributing power within the state among separate offices—typically legislative, executive, and judicial—so each can check the others. This structuring is what helps protect liberty and prevent arbitrary rule, a concept that heavily influenced modern constitutional design, including the idea of separate branches with mutual restraints.

Hobbes advocated concentrating power in a single sovereign, leaving no room for a balanced separation; Locke argued for limited government and protection of natural rights but did not develop a robust tripartite structure with interlocking checks; Rousseau emphasized popular sovereignty and the general will rather than institutional separation. Montesquieu’s precise pairing of a tripartite framework with mutual checks best matches the description in the question.