‘The will of the people practically means the will of the most numerous or the most active part of the people,’ they argued. ‘The people, consequently, may desire to oppress a part of their number; and precautions are much needed against this, as against any other abuse of power.’ They branded this the ‘tyranny of the majority.’ This meant there were actually two threats to the individual: the state and society. Society’s threat to the individual was if anything more alarming than that of the state, because it could reach deeper into people’s lives.
