Checks and balances
What Checks and balances means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Checks and balances
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Reference: AQA
The separation of powers and checks and balances functioned during the crisis, particularly through congressional oversight of the executive branch.
A system of three branches designed to prevent tyranny by checking each other's power.
Topics that use Checks and balances
- 2J America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877 – North and South in c1845 (AQA A-Level)
- 2Q The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980 – Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency, 1968–1974 (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Cold War diplomacy and détente
- Constitutional crisis
- Constitutional interpretation
- Missouri Compromise
- Nullification Crisis
- States' rights
- The limits of military intervention
- Abuse of executive power
Using Checks and balances in the exam
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