The Rise of Limited Government

This article chronicles the decline of supreme "big government" regimes from the 10th century up to the American and French Revolutions. The main complaint among subjects of these administrations was that their governments had too much power and were in need of a more balanced system. The charters and written laws they proposed include the Magna Carta and the United States Constitution, versatile documents which continue to help maintain order in the present day. This article is part of a series, "Millennial Moments," also available as a collection from The World & I Online.