Why is the default for an access modifier "protected" in . NET?

Question

Unless I’m mistaken, the default when no class modifier is defined, for example, is assumed to be the protected:

class LoremIpsum {
    ...
}

Is there any special reason for this? Which?

Answer 1

The default access modifier for a class is not the protected. Is the internal.

The default access modifier for a class method is the private.

According to answer from Jon Skeet, this is due to the security of the primary language by the greatest possible restriction.

Has more:

• Namespaces sane public by default;
• Interfaces sane internal by default, but its members are public;
• Types sane internal by default;
• Members of struct sane private by default;
• Enums sane internal by default, their members being always public;

Language specification: http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=7029