In a republic, it is crucial to protect society not only from oppressive rulers but also from injustices committed by one group against another. Different social classes have varying interests, and if a majority aligns on a common interest, it can threaten the rights of the minority. To prevent this, there are two solutions: one is to establish a governing authority that is independent of the majority; the other is to include diverse groups within society to make it unlikely that a unjust majority can form.
“It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure. There are but two methods of providing against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority -- that is, of the society itself; the other, by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole very improbable, if not impracticable.”
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