1. consider each of the situations below. decide if each one is a legitimate or illegitimate use of power, and explain each of your decisions. a government that is elected by the people raises taxes. a government court sentences someone to death. an assassin kills an elected leader. a group of military officers takes over the government of a country.

A government that is elected by the people raises taxes.  

Legitimate. A government can have the necessity to raises taxes when needed in order to satisfy certain needs or in response to certain situation. Taxes are an incredibile complex theme, but a government has that power and it's a form of power that is completely legitimate, within resonable limits and boundaries.

A government court sentences someone to death.

This could be either Legitimate or Illegitimate depending on the country. If in the country the death penalty is used, then the decision is legitimate, within the limits and boundaries of the use of death penalty. otherwise, the decision is illegitimate. This could be applied to any penalty, depeding if this or that penalty is allowed by the law.

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An assassin kills an elected leader.

Illegitimate. An assassin kills an elected leader, or even a normal citizen, is guilty in most if not all laws as murder, so it is an illegitimate use of power, due to the fact that the assassin is controling the life of another human being, which for many is the ultimate form of domination over others. Moreover, if the victim is an elected leader.

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A group of military officers takes over the government of a country.

Illegitimate. A group of military officers takes over the government of a country is a form of rebellion against the authority and it is often the first step toward a dictactorship, as the military is often the first force that is controlled by those kind of organizations and people. It is an illegitimate use of the power given to the military institution.

montesquieu took the view that the roman republic had powers separated so that no one could usurp complete power. in the british constitutional system, montesquieu discerned a separation of powers among the monarch, parliament, and the courts of law.