Question

What is the danger of ambition in government?

Answer 1

Interesting question.

We can start with a basic definition of ambition:

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ambition

an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment:

in the context of government, we can focus on power (and to a lesser extent, wealth and fame.)

Ambition isn't inherently a bad thing, but it can cause problems when one person or one party becomes **too** ambitious, and they start seeking overwhelming, unjust power. Good governments have limits on how much power any individual or party can have (checks and balances, term limits, etc.)

Answer 2

This is a bit U.S. centric, but one of the Federalist papers (No. 51) specifically mentions that "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition." in which Hamilton/Madison explain that the government must be designed to limit individual men's ambitions and prevent abuse of power.

https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed51.asp