Limited government

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In political philosophy, limited government refers to a government limited in power. It is a key concept in the history of liberalism and is closely associated with constitutionalism. Milestones in limiting governmental power include the Magna Carta, and the United States Constitution; the term dates back to the late 16th century and to King James VI and I. In his Two Treatises of Government, John Locke argued that a government formed by social contract may exercise only the powers the people grant it, and set out four limits. Constitutions have pursued limited government in different ways; the US Constitution relies on separation of powers among the three branches of the government, as well as between the federal and the state governments. The French constitution of 1793, influenced by Rousseau, favoured legislative supremacy and democratic self-government that expressed the general will. Liberal theorists disagree on how far the government should be limited.

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