Political life is essentially about the struggle between the few and the many. When one rules, the other is at a disadvantage. This is why the United States Constitution provides for two legislative bodies. One for the states (a few) and one for the population (the many). Aristotle's advice is to have a strong middle class. Members of the middle class generally do not lock themselves into factions that cause political differences. General Washington advised something similar in his farewell address after his presidency: stay away from factions. Today we see that the political environment is increasingly polarized as the majority of people fall between the two ideologies. The gap between rich and poor is also widening, which could cause even more political upheaval. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The three main forms of government are monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Cicero, however, mentions a fourth type of government which is in reality a mixture of the previous three. This one, he says, is superior to the others. But he talks more about this form later. According to supporters of democracy, “if the people knew how to maintain their rights, nothing could be more glorious and more prosperous than democracy” (Cicero 10). On the other hand, if the people were to remain free under an aristocracy, rulers could not be chosen at random or haphazardly. Only the noblest men who could be trusted would be selected. If faced with a choice, Cicero would choose neither an aristocracy nor a democracy but a monarchy. He is right to say that a king is a bit like the father of the people, that he watches over them and protects their freedom. This king, of course, must be just and have the public interest in mind to avoid falling into the category of a tyrannical government. While Cicero defends monarchy as the best form of government, his argument is based on the idea that it is best to govern because all the power is in one place to make things go smoothly. This is comparable to how one pilot is better equipped than many to steer a ship. Sometimes an oppressive man comes to the throne through his birthright. In these moments, monarchy turns into tyranny, then turns into aristocracies, which then turn into democracies. This is a trend that often occurs in political regimes. The framers of the Constitution, especially James Madison, surely saw the problems that arose from these different forms of government. The English king, in their eyes, was oppressive as a tyrant, and the Articles of Confederation did not provide enough structure for the people to govern. The solution was to design a system of government composed of an equal mixture of the three best forms of government. Cicero asserted that in this form of government disasters and oppression would not occur unless public men were taken by the greatest vices. So, using Cicero's suggestion, the founders tried to establish a system in which it would be difficult to suffer the negative effects of any of the political forms of government..