Bell ringer• “ The legitimate object of government, is to do

for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but cannot do, at all, or can not so well do, for themselves – in their separate, and individual capacities. In all that people can individually do for themselves, government ought not to interfere.” – Abraham Lincoln, 1854

• Have popular attitudes toward government changed since Lincolns time? Why or why not?

Formation of Government

sChapter 1 Section 2

Vocab

• Unitary system

• Federal system

• Confederacy

• Constitution

• Constitutional government

• Preamble

• Constitutional law

• Politics

• Industrialized nation

• Developing nation

• Goal

• Amend

• benefit

Government Systems

• Unitary system – gives all key powers to the central government (Italy, France, Great Britain)

• Federal system – divides powers of government between national and state

• Confederacy – loose union of independent states

Constitutions and Government

• Constitution – plan that provides the rules for government

• Purposes of :• Sets out ideals that the people

share and believe in• Establishes structure, powers

and duties• Provides supreme law for the

country

Constitutions

• May be written or unwritten – but are written in modern states

• Constitutional government – government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on power

• What might happen if a country does not have a written constitution?

Incomplete Guides

• Constitutions are incomplete for two reasons:• Laws, customs, and ideas change• (FDR was elected four times because at

the time it was custom, not law, to serve two terms)

• Does not always reflect government practice

• (People’s Republic of China)

Goals and Framework

• Preamble – sets forth the goals and purposes of the government

• The body of a constitution sets up the plan for the government, along with the procedure for amending or changing it

• Divided into parts called articles and sections (US constitution has 7 articles and 21 sections)

Highest Law

• The constitution is the supreme law for a state

• Constitutional law – studies questions on how to interpret the Constitution

Politics and Government

• Politics – the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government

• Benefits – something that adds to or aids

• Politics is important but the framers feared special interests would hinder the government.

Governing in a Complex World

• Industrialized nations – have large industries and advanced technology to provide a comfortable life (US, Australia, Japan)

• Developing nations – nations only beginning to develop industrially (many African states, Southeast Asia)

International Organizations

• National liberation organizations (IRA)

• Terrorist organizations (Al Qaeda)

• Multinational Corporations (GM, BP)

• Organizations of world states (WTO)

• Nongovernmental organizations (Doctors Without Boarders)

Characteristics of Democracy

• Open to page 21• Copy down all the non italic red

headings under Characteristics of Democracy and Essential Elements for Democracy