which principle provides for a system in which the government derives its power from the governed
Answers.comÂ® is making the world better one answer at a time. Popular sovereignty refers to a system in which the government derives power from the consent of the governed. This was a very popular political ideal during the years of the Enlightenment, when philosophers began to contemplate government systems other than monarchies, and to draw up governments based on the consent of the governed people.