Separation of Powers

The separation of powers is a political term created and used for the first time by Montesquieu, which constitutes a model of governance of all democratic states of today. Using this model, the power of the state has to be divided into branches, each with it`s own powers and separate responsibilities that are independent. The most common separation is the one that has three separate powers: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. This principle was founded by Locke ("Two treatises on government", 1690), but most important, the term is ascribed to Montesquieu ("De l'esprit des lois", 1748). He based this model on the British constitutional system, in which he perceived a separation of powers among the monarch, Parliament, and the courts of law.