In an absolute government, the people are not able to question the government on its decisions. Additionally, corruption within these governments can become disastrous if left unchecked. To get around this problem, Locke suggests creating separate powers to make and enforce law. Locke was one of the first political philosophers to separate the powers of government, which was directly different from the absolute monarchies he lived under. According to John Locke, government should consist of a legislative branch and an executive branch (Locke 1681, 335-37). The first makes the laws while the second applies them. It further gives prerogative power to the executive branch to make decisions which must be made by the executive branch and which can be made at its own discretion as long as they are in the public interest ((Locke 1681, 244). The separation of powers is effective because it allows for a sort of checks and balances. This means that those who pass the laws are not completely exempt from being punished by them if the need arises. Because of the prerogative power of the executive branch, this can theoretically allow the executive branch to intervene and prevent the passing of unjust laws, if they choose not to enforce them. The downside of this depends on the number of people in the. community If the community is too large, this might be more difficult to implement..