Question

Why does James Madison argue in Federalist 10 that eliminating the causes would be worse than controlling the effects? Also, what are some strengths and weaknesses to his "control the effects" plan?

Answer 1

In context of the political economy, many politicians and economist argued that when the economy becomes large which means that when the population and wealth of the economy grows then it is difficult to form a republican government. In such a situation, federal government would function in a better manner. However,James Madison who was the author of Federalist 10 argued that a large republic would be better guard against the harmful impacts of smaller republic or the federal government . He was against the formation of ' factions' who are group of political representatives who come together for the interests of the community. He described the negative impacts of formation of factions as it is difficult for factions to take control over a large country. The most serious threat caused by faction is the diversity of opinions that led to disputes and arguments. In addition to this, factions can lead to unequal distribution of property. Further, one major weakness to control the negative impact of factions is that a pure democracy also offers no solution to the mischief of factions. Hence, the only form of strength to control the negative effects is the formation of republican government.