Balance of power – why is the separation of powers important?

Spis treści

Instruction

Duration:

45 / 90 minutes

Suggestion:
Upper secondary school students

You are the facilitator of this lesson. You know your group best and understand how to conduct the class most effectively. This lesson is only a suggestion – we encourage you to expand, modify, or deliver it in a different format!

Objectives
  • Explain what the separation of powers is and why it is important in a democracy.
  • Learn the roles and competencies of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
  • Understand how the system of checks and balances works.
  • Analyze the consequences of a lack of balance between powers using examples.
  • Develop critical thinking skills and civic reflection.

WARM-UP

What is the separation of powers?

Activity:

  • At the beginning, you can ask: What comes to mind when you think of the separation of powers? Write the students’ associations on the board.
  • You can also present the following video:
  • Explain that the separation of powers is the division into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, which are meant to check and balance each other in order to prevent abuse of power and protect citizens’ rights.

  • KNOWLEDGE ZONE

    Roles of the “players” and the system of checks and balances

    Divide the class into 3 groups:
    Each group draws one branch of power: legislative, executive, or judicial.

    Task:
    Search the Constitution to answer the following questions:

    • What are the main tasks of your assigned branch?

    • Which institutions represent it in your country?

    • How can this branch check or restrain the others?

    Topics to discuss:

    Legislative power

    • Who represents it in Poland? (Art. 95 Constitution)
    • Main tasks of the Sejm and Senate (Arts. 95, 118 Constitution) are creating and passing laws, controlling the government, and approving the budget.

    How can the Sejm check the other branches?

    • Can dismiss the government through a vote of no confidence (Art. 158 Constitution)
    • Can change laws that limit the executive branch’s actions
    • Can appoint investigative committees (Art. 111 Constitution)

    Executive power

    • Who represents it in Poland? (Arts. 126, 146 Constitution) – President, Council of Ministers (government), Prime Minister
    • Main tasks: implementing laws, managing the state, foreign policy, directing administration

    How can the executive branch check the other branches?

    • The President can veto a law (Art. 122 Constitution)
    • The government can request the Constitutional Tribunal to review a law’s constitutionality (Art. 122 Constitution)
    • The Council of Ministers drafts the budget bill (Art. 222 Constitution), the President awards state honors (Art. 144 Constitution)

    Judicial power

    • Who represents it in Poland? (Art. 175 Constitution) – Common courts, Supreme Court, Constitutional Tribunal, State Tribunal
    • Main tasks (Art. 177 Constitution): resolving disputes between citizens, ruling on criminal responsibility, protecting citizens’ rights, controlling the constitutionality of laws

    How can it check the other branches?

    • Can annul laws that are unconstitutional
    • Can convict government members for breaking the law

EXERCISE

What happens when one branch seizes control?

Interactive scenario:
  • Present students with a short fictional story – you can print it or display it on the board:
  • In country X, the government (executive branch) takes control of the courts, appointing its own people to all key positions. Important judicial posts are given to allies of the government – for example, the Minister of Education’s wife, who introduced mandatory religious classes in schools, or the President’s high school friend. This ensures that court rulings align with the government’s interests.

The parliament (legislative branch) passes laws according to the government’s will, without debate or amendments. The opposition has no real influence on lawmaking – its proposals are automatically rejected, and speeches are limited or interrupted by the Speaker, making substantive discussion impossible. For example, during work on a law requiring all TV stations (public and private) to broadcast government press conferences, opposition-proposed changes were not even put to a vote.

Judges who acquitted journalists reporting on the connections between newly appointed judges and government officials were transferred to courts up to 200 kilometers away from their homes.

  • Ask the groups to analyze: What happens if you remove one leg from a table? What happens to a relay team if only one runner runs the entire distance?
  • Write the consequences on the board: lack of checks, abuse of power, restriction of citizens’ rights, risk of tyranny

INSPIRATIONS

Examples from life and pop culture – consequences of imbalance

Additional activity:

  • A starting point for discussion can be asking students to give examples from pop culture where a lack of balance between powers led to negative outcomes. Encourage students to explore different areas – video games, movies, books, or comics. You can also suggest films yourself (e.g., Barbie, Star Wars).
  • You can also ask the group if they know historical examples where a lack of balance between powers worsened the situation of a state.

Reflections

Questions for the class:
  • What is the greatest threat to the balance of powers today?
  • How can we, as citizens, defend this balance?
  • Why is judicial independence crucial for the functioning of a democracy
  • What could happen if the legislative and executive branches dominate the judicial branch?
  • How can the media support or threaten the balance of powers?
  • Does the separation of powers always guarantee the protection of citizens’ rights?
  • How can we “maintain” the balance of powers?
Scroll to Top