“La liberté politique ne se trouve que dans les gouvernements modérés.”
(Political liberty is to be found only in moderate governments;)
– Charles de Secondat de Montesquieu
Charles de Secondat de Montesquieu (1689-1755) was a French political philosopher and legal scholar. His ideas on separation of powers in government influenced the framers of the US Constitution. His 1748 book The Spirit of the Laws is available free online in both English and French.
TL;DR Civics 