There is an inherent tendency within every State to maximize its powers and to extend its control over as many areas of human activity as possible. This propensity is most pronounced in non-democratic and totalitarian States, but even democratic polities are not free from such maximalist tendencies on the part of the State.

It could be argued that individual liberties and freedoms cherished within the institutions of civil society are in perpetual conflict with the power of the State. In a democracy an attempt is made to strike a balance by reining in the powers of the State. This is always an ongoing process and never an easy one.

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