Chapter 1 People and Government

Section 1: Principles of Government

The State

• Essential features of a state– Population

• Most obvious essential for a state is people • States where the population shares a general political and social

consensus or agreement about basic beliefs, have the most stable governments

– An area with fixed boundaries– Sovereignty, or absolute authority, within its territorial

boundaries– A government which maintains order, provides public

services, and enforces decisions that its people must obey

State

• Theories of the Origin of the state– The State evolved from the family group– One person or a group used force to establish its

authority to govern the people– The rulers of the people were chosen by the gods

to govern – The people gave the government its power to rule

them and in return the government had to respect the peoples rights

Social Contract Theory

• Thomas Hobbes in England was one of the first to theorize the social contract theory

• By contract people surrendered to the state the power needed to maintain authority

• John Locke would take the social contract theory one step further – He wrote that people were naturally endowed with

the right to life liberty, and property– To preserve their rights they willingly contracted to

give power to a governing authority

State

• The Purposes of Government – Governments are needed to maintain social order

by making and enforcing laws– Governments provide essential services for

people, such as promoting public health and safety

– Governments protect people from attack by other states and from internal threats such as terrorism

– Governments pass laws that shape and control the nations economy in various ways

The Formation of Government

• Government Systems – A unitary system of Government gives all key

powers to the national or central government– A federal system of government divides the

powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

Constitutions and Government

• A constitution is a plan that provides the rules for government

• Whether written or unwritten, a constitution organizes the structure of government and the way it operates

• Constitutions set out goals and purposes of government as well as the ideals shared by the people; this often times is referred to as the preamble

• Constitutions provide the supreme law for states and their governments

Politics and Government

• Politics is the effort to control or influence the policies and actions of government

• Individuals and groups use politics to seek benefits from government

• Although special interest groups seek special benefits, politics also provides benefits for all the people

Governing in a Complex World

• The world today is divided into industrialized nations, developing nations, and newly industrialized nations

• These groups of nations have many different differences, but they are interdependent in many ways

• Other groups besides nations, including multinational corporations, political movements, terrorist groups and international organizations, are important in today's world

Major Types of Government• Governments may be classified according to who governs the state• In an autocracy, such as a dictatorship or absolute monarchy,

power and authority reside in a single individual– Totalitarian Dictatorship – the ideas of a single individual is glorified

• Adolf Hitler – Nazi Germany• Benito Mussolini – Italy• Joseph Stalin – Soviet Union

– Monarchy – King or Queen or emperor exercises the supreme powers of government• Absolute Monarch – have complete and unlimited power to rule their people

– King of Saudi Arabia

• Constitutional Monarch – These monarchs share governmental powers with elected legislatures or serve mainly as the ceremonial leaders of their country– Queen Elisabeth

Major Types of Government

• In an oligarchy, such as a communist country, a small group holds power in the government– The group derives its power from wealth, military power, social

position, or a combination of these elements– China would be an example of an oligarchy– Oligarchies may look like the people have the power but in fact

they don’t; they may hold elections but only give one choose as a candidate

• In a democracy, such as the United States, the people hold the sovereign power of government– “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people”

Abraham Lincoln

Democracy

• May take two forms:– Direct Democracy – the people govern themselves

by voting on issues individually as citizens• Still found in some New England town meetings

– Representative Democracy – the people elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct government

– In a republic voters are the source of the governments authority

Characteristics of Democracy• Government works to secure an equal opportunity for people to

develop their own abilities • Government is based on majority rule through the people’s elected

representatives, but respects the rights of minorities• Government is based on free and open elections in which every

citizen has the right to vote, every vote has equal weight, and candidates for office can freely express their views “one person, one vote”

• Political party is a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy

• Political parties choose candidates for office, respect the voter’s decisions in elections, and act as loyal opposition

The Soil of Democracy

• Certain conditions or environments favor the development of the democratic system of government – Five general criteria that reflect the quality of life of citizens

• Active Civic Participation - Countries where citizens participate fully in civic life are more likely to maintain a strong democracy

• Stable, growing economies with a large middle class help strengthen democracies– In the US this concept is called Free Enterprise

• A public school system open to all people helps promote democracy

Soil of Democracy

• A strong civil society in which a network of voluntary organizations (including economic groups, religious groups, and many others) exists independent of government helps democracy to flourish– Red Cross, Humane Society, Sierra Club, NRA, local

church and newspaper, labor unions and business groups• The people accept democratic values such as

individual liberty and equality for all in a social consensus

Role of Economic Systems• Economics – the study of human efforts to satisfy seemingly

unlimited wants through the use of limited resources (land, water, minerals, and trees)

• Governments provide for many different kinds of economic systems – Capitalism– Socialism– Communism

• Economic systems make decisions about what goods and services should be produced, how they should be produced, and who gets them– All the major types of economic system answer the question differently

Capitalism

• Freedom of choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business enterprises is emphasized

• Based on free enterprise, or individual economic choices• Pure Capitalism has five main characteristics

– Private ownership and control of property and economic resources

– Free enterprise– Competition among businesses– freedom of choice– Possibility of profits

Socialism

• Under socialism, government owns the basic means of production, plans the use of resources, distributes many products and wages, and provides basic social services

• Socialism developed in Europe during the nineteenth century

Socialism

• Some socialists favored taking over government by means of revolution, while other socialists believed in democratic socialism, in which economic conditions change peacefully and people have some freedoms and rights

• Socialist governments have taken power in several countries; however critics argue that this economic system fails to solve most economic problems

Communism

• Communism is based on the nineteenth century ideas of Karl Marx, who argued capitalism exploited workers to benefit a small group of capitalists who controlled the economy

• Marx predicted workers would eventually rise in a violent revolution, which would result in government ownership of all means of production and distribution; when all property was held in common, there would be no need in government

Communism

• In communist nations, government makes all economic decisions; owns the land, natural resources, industry, banks, and transportation system; and controls all mass communication