Liberals wanted to limit which power through independent judiciary?

Correct answer: Arbitrary power of rulers and officials

The governing concept is liberalism and the rule of law. Liberals argued that government should be restrained by a constitution, representative institutions and courts that could interpret law independently. An independent judiciary helps prevent rulers and officials from punishing opponents, changing rules arbitrarily or using state power without legal justification. Option B is correct because it identifies the arbitrary authority that liberals wanted to limit. Option A is wrong because independent courts were not primarily designed to suppress workers' associations; C is unrelated to the central constitutional purpose; and D refers to an international socialist organisation, not the ordinary executive power constrained by judicial independence.