What principle safeguards against the concentration of power in one branch of government?

The principle that safeguards against the concentration of power in one branch of government is checks and balances. This system is designed to ensure that no single branch—executive, legislative, or judicial—can dominate the others.

Checks and balances operate by providing each branch with specific powers that can counteract or limit the powers of the other branches. For example, while the legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch has the power to veto those laws, and the judicial branch can declare laws unconstitutional. This interaction creates a dynamic where cooperation is necessary and prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful, thereby safeguarding democratic governance and protecting individual liberties.

While separation of powers divides government responsibilities among the three branches, it is the system of checks and balances that actively prevents power from being concentrated in any single branch. Federalism relates to the division of power between national and state governments, and judicial review pertains to the courts' ability to assess the constitutionality of legislative acts. These concepts are integral to government functioning but do not directly address the prevention of power concentration in the same way that checks and balances do.