1. In Federalist No 10 the idea of faction reminds me of social class conflict. Different people within the social classes have different interests. The main two classes are the wealthy ones with properties and working class with no property. Both groups have policies that might benefit their own class but cause harm to the other,
  2. According to Federalist 10 the source of wealth (private property) derives from the different faculties of the people. James Madison referred to people’s abilities, talents, and skills as faculties. Since people have different opportunities and abilities some people are able to obtain a lots of properties and get wealthy while others are not able to do so. Thus this wealth gap leads to differences between rich and poor class the society.
  3. I somewhat agree with this explanation of wealth and poverty. There are differences in people’s talents as well as the opportunities available to them which may lead to different economic outcomes. However I also believe social conditions, unequal opportunities and education can also affect wealth and poverty.
  4. James Madison says that the core mission (first object) of the government is the protection of property. This means that the government should protect the people’s right to own private property and wealth. Which is surprising to me because our society today suggests that the mission of government is protect fundamental rights of the citizens regardless of their class, provide social services and promote equality amongst everyone.
  5. It is not surprising to me that that Federalist #10 is not in favor of democracy. He preferred a republic instead of pure democracy because in democracy poor citizens have rights and they could vote to take wealth or property from the wealthy of America. A republican form of governments with its elected representatives and large system can easily prevent this faction from getting too much control over the government.

One thought on “Wealth, Factions and Government”

  1. Associating factions with social classes was a great way of showing understanding. I also think they resemble each other because both involve different classes with their own advantages and disadvantages. I agree that according to the Federalist #10, the source of wealth comes from peoples different faculties, which are their intellectual abilities to produce wealth. These intellectual abilities lead to different knowledge, skills and opportunities for individuals. Overall it helps explain why wealth is distributed unequally.

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