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James Madison is one of the famous writers, who began researching the life of the state and the country after a Convention in 1787 in the series of anonymous essays. Under the name of Publius, the authors began their activity in the name of democracy and freedom for everyone. The works of this group are remarkable not only from the viewpoint of language, which proves the authors to be politically savvy, but also from the point of the idea, which proves them to be educated enough to send a message to both people and the state couched in clear terms.

The political system and the government of any country are not perfect. In the Federalist No. 10 he has opened a question about factions, class, majority and interests. First of all, it is necessary to explain, what he thought factions were. He explained that a faction is the unity of people with the same purpose, interest, passion. It can be either minority or majority, but in both cases it influences the system by violating other citizens’ rights. There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects. The causes of the faction could be also removed by elimination of liberty or by making the citizens believe in the same interests as the others. Both of the causes cannot be removed because it is what defines human society – the diversity of opinions and interests. Because of different positions people hold, roles they play in the life of the country, class they belong to, property they possess, people always have and always will protect their own interests, which are the result of the class character. In my opinion, Madison was right to say that it is impossible to remove the reasons of factionalism as well it is impossible to eliminate the factionalism itself. People have always been and will be different. That is what defines the human nature. Factionalism is not just a matter of quantity, but also of motivation and orientation. Factions are a disturbing matter, which government has to control and suppress in some way. The reason for that is simple, factions by Madison are what divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to cooperate for their common good. That is a fair statement, but as for me, factionalism is inevitable. For sure it divides mankind into groups with the same aims and direction in life, but that is a matter of democracy, ability to express the opinion and aspiration a person has.This info I`ve found at book review essay example .

Another issue Madison has raised was the diversity of classes and the inevitable struggle between two opposite factions formed by those classes. A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile interest, a moneyed interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations, and divide them into different classes. Madison means that the diversity of interests people possess creates a variety of distinctions the factions are based on. Those classes form factions that fight not for the common good, but for the interests of that separate party. The distribution of property was always unequal, which is also one of the reasons of class formation.

Another problem rises from the previous one. That is the suppression of the minority and the prevalence of the majority. The most numerous party, no matter what kind of interest and class it protects, will always win. The most powerful faction will in this case violate the rights and interests of other citizens. There was also an assumption that the party comprised by the majority is not always right, it can be even tyrannical.

Another issue Madison has brought up is the question of the power distribution. He thought that the only way a government can productively work is to cooperate between the parties, but not the control one another.

The purpose of any government is to form such relationships between the people and the political system, which secure and ensure the independence of one or another. The government has to control both the governed and itself.

The fears of James Madison were not only the information, but also practical recommendations to what the government should do to avoid this or that thread. Starting from the very beginning, Madison saw a way to control the factions. It is obvious that factions cannot be destroyed, because it is the men’s political nature to prefer one or another party or leader. Every citizen wants his or her opinion to be taken into account and prevail over other interests. That is why the only way to deal with factions is to control them and their influence. Government is obliged to consider all different and even opposite interests of the citizens. The challenge the Government was up against is to create a set, a web of institutions, which could efficiently deal with competing interests and create a structure that would not allow tyrannizing people.

There will always be classes though another dilemma for the Government is to find a way to protect all of them and also give the opportunity to grow and develop from one class to another.

The majority over the minority problem is also changeable by Madison. He saw the solution in the range of checks and balances, which had to prevent one faction from dominating over the other one. Moreover, Madison thought that the only way to make the balance possible, was to reconsider the system of elections. He saw a great good in the numerous American society, because it formed a more diverse web of interests and factions. The more factions exist, the more people who belong to that faction, the better. They choose their representative, who has to be educated enough to represent the interests of the faction, wise enough to enter the political system and be a truthful leader for his people. Moreover, Madison believed that frequent elections and constant change of men in authority will build the necessary relationships between people and the state.

The distribution of power is another important issue Madison discussed. It is obvious that each branch of power should be independent and have its own opinion, which is not corrupted by other branches and people. He saw a cure in the new republican form of government, where the power will be distributed by different organs, support each other and hold each other accountable, but also check and control themselves and each other. The balance between the independence of the brunches and the interdependence had to be established and supported. Moreover, Madison was sure that people who represent those powers have to be qualified. They have to be the best to be able to form a political system that will work. The distribution of power has to arrange institutions to be able to check one another so that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights.

Madison did not see only the negative sides of the Government and the political system. He also pointed out the strong features, which in good hands of wise rulers will make the system more acceptable and open for the development. One of those strong features he saw in the numerous population of the United States, which meant for him a greater amount of interests and factions. The more factions exist, the less the opportunity of one faction to prevail. The larger the society is, the bigger the chance to form a system that will entail more groups of passions and interests. Another strong feature of the system is the division of power in Congress into the House of Representatives and the Senate, which means that each of them will be a controlling institution for another. The more organs that could check the decision making process, the better.

James Madison has influenced the modern society and the governmental structure greatly. Madison has shown the weak points of the existing at that time political power and the constitutional development since those years has shown the value of James Madison’s thought.