US/VA Government: 2012-2013

Chapter 1: Principles of Government

Ms. A. Boland

Objectives What should be the goals of government?

Is government necessary?

The purpose for which government exists.

The major forms of government in the world today.

The major concepts of American democracy.

Question????How is government involved in your life?

Think of at least five ways that government is involved in your life.

Imagine if there was no government.

Define “democracy”.

Larger issue in American society: What are the roles and limits of government in a democracy?

Questions?????

Americans question the right and responsibility of government to be involved in personal safety matters.

Some fear the freedom to make personal choices will be eroded, others disagree.

Chapter 1 Vocabulary

1. Government 2. Public policies3. State4. Sovereign5. Unitary government6. Federal government7. Confederation8. Presidential

government

9. Parliamentary government

10.Dictatorship11.Democracy12.Direct democracy13.Representative

democracy14.Compromise15.Anarchy

Chapter 1 Section 1: Government and the State

Define government and the basic powers every government holds.

What are the four basic characteristics of a state?

What are the four most influential theories about the origin of the state?

For what purpose does government exist in the U.S. and other countries?

What Is Government?Government: the institution

through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.

U.S. government made up of legislators who exercise the government’s powers.

Have authority and control over other people.

What is Government?3 Basic Kinds of Power: legislative,

executive, and judicial. Legislative: make laws and frame public

policies. Executive: execute and enforce laws.Judicial: interpret laws, determine their

meaning, and settle disputes in society.Constitution: outlines governmental

powers. Consists of the principles, structures, and processes of government.

What Is Government?Make public policies in the form of laws

Executives and administrators enforce laws

Judges apply those laws in court cases

Some countries government is in the hands of religious leaders, royal families, tribal chiefs, or soldiers with guns.

What Is Government?Public policies: all the things a government

decides to do. (education, healthcare, civil rights, defense, crime, transportation, working conditions, etc.)

Ex) imposing income tax, setting minimum wage, protecting the environment

Government is among the oldest of all human inventions. Dates to Egypt and 6th century BC.

“Man is by nature a political animal” - Aristotle

Politics and GovernmentPolitics and government are TWO different

things. Politics is a process.Government is an institution. Politics is the process by which society decides

how power and resources will be distributed within that society ( who will reap the benefits and pay the cost of its public policies).

It is the means by which government is conducted.

It is neither good or bad, but necessary.

The State

State: body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically, under a government. States have the power to make and enforce laws without the consent of any higher authority.

Over the course of history, the state has emerged as the dominant political unit in the world.

The State4 Characteristics

1. Population: people who live in the state,

can be large or small. Homogenous – composed of people

who are much alike Heterogeneous – made up of people

with different races, languages, religions, and customs.

The State

2. Territory: land with known and recognized

boundaries.

Russia is the world’s largest state, stretches nearly 7 million square miles

Total area of the United States is 3,787,425 square miles.

The State 3. Sovereignty: supreme and absolute power within its own territory.

Each state can decide its own foreign and domestic policies.

United States is sovereign, can determine government, economic system, and foreign policies.

However, the States within the United States are not sovereign, each State is subordinate to the Constitution of the United States.

If people are sovereign, then the government is democratic.

The State4. Government: political organization

within a state. Institution in which society makes and enforces its public policies.

It has the power to rule, including to use force if necessary to compel people to accept its rule.

Government can take a number of different forms.

Origins of the StateFor centuries, historians, political

scientists, philosophers, and others have pondered about the origin of the state.

Many theories but no conclusive evidence to support any of them.

However 4 Theories have emerged as the most widely accepted explanations for the origin of the state.

Origins of the State1. The Force Theory: one person or

group claimed control over an area, and forced all within to submit to this person’s or group’s rule.

2. The Evolutionary Theory: state developed naturally out of the early family.

One person head of the family, network of related families (clan), clan becomes a tribe. Tribe turns to agriculture and gave up nomadic ways, the state was born.

Origins of the State3. The Divine Right Theory: state was

created by God and that God had given those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule.

People were bound to obey their rulers as they would God. Ex) Chinese, Egyptian, Aztec, Mayan civilization

Mikado – Japanese emperor, governed by divine right for centuries, until 1945.

Origins of the State4. The Social Contract Theory: people agree with one another to create a state. By contract, people within a given area agreed to give up to the state as much power as was needed to promote the well-being of all. Contract was done through a constitution.State rose out of a voluntary act of free

people, state exists only to serve the will of the people, they are the sole source of political power, they are free to give or withhold that power as they choose.

Origins of the State

Theory developed by philosophers, such as John Locke, James Harrington, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jacques Rousseau in the 17th and 18th centuries.

John Locke James Harrington

Thomas Hobbes Jean Jacques Rousseau

The Purpose of Government

Purpose of Government

To Form a More Perfect Union – the Constitution was written in 1787 and was adopted by the original States to link them, the American people, more closely together. Constitution was built in the belief that in union there is strength.

To Establish Justice - the law’s content and administration must be reasonable, fair, and impartial

“To proved justice is the most sacred of the duties of government” – Thomas Jefferson

“Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Purpose of Government

To Insure Domestic Tranquility – order is essential to the well-being of any society, and keeping peace at home has always been a prime function of the government

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” - James Madison, The Federalist No. 51

Purpose of Government

To Provide for the Common Defense – defend the nation against foreign enemies for the security of the United States.

Defense is mentioned far more often in the Constitution than any of the other functions of the government was created.

Purpose of Government

To Promote the General Welfare – services that benefit all or most people and are not likely to be provided by the voluntary acts of private individuals or groups.

Ex) public schools, quality of water, air, and food.

Purpose of Government

To Secure the Blessings of Liberty – nation founded by those who loved liberty. Both the Federal Constitution and the State constitutions set out many guarantees of rights and liberties for the individual in the United States. However, these guarantees do not exist forever. To preserve and protect them each generation must learn and understand them and be willing to stand up for them when necessary.

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety” - Benjamin Franklin

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” - Thomas Jefferson

Chapter 1 Section 2: Forms of Government

What are the characteristics of unitary, federal, and confederate governments?

How do presidential and parliamentary governments differ?

How do a dictatorship and a democracy differ?

Classifying Governments

No two governments are alike, they are the products of human needs and experiences.

Political scientists have developed bases upon which to describe, compare, classify, and analyze governments.

Classifying Governments

3 Classifications1. Geographic distribution of

governmental power within the state2. Relationship between the legislative

and the executive branches of government.

3. Number of persons who can take part in the governing process.

Classifying GovernmentsUnitary Government: centralized

government, all powers held by the government belong to a single central agency.

Creates local units of government to assist the central agency.

Not to be confused with a dictatorship, government is centralized, however the government might not have all the power.

Ex) Great Britain – government powers limited, unitary and democratic

Great Britain

Parliament

Classifying GovernmentsFederal Government: powers of

government are divided between a central government and several local governments.

Ex) United States – National Government has certain powers and 50 States have others. Division of powers is set out in the Constitution.

Other examples: Australia, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, India, and some other 20 states.

United States Australia

Canada Mexico

Germany Switzerland India

Classifying GovernmentsConfederate Government: A

confederation is an alliance of independent states.

Only have the power to handle those matters that the member states have assigned to it.

Limited powers, but only in fields of defense and foreign commerce.

Ex) Commonwealth of Independent States (republics of Old Soviet Union), U.S. under the Articles of Confederation, and the Confederate States of America

Classifying GovernmentsEuropean Union (EU): closest form to a

confederation today. The EU was formed by 12 countries in 1993, it

has established free trade among its now 27 members, it launched a common currency, and seeks to coordinate its members’ foreign and defense policies.

To see a list a map of members follow the link below:

http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/eu_members/index_en.htm

U.S. under the Articles of Confederation

Classifying Governments

Presidential Government: features a separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government.

Two branches independent and coequal. President chosen independently of the

legislature, have a checks and balances system.

Ex) United States: **we actually invented this form of government**

Barack Obama U.S.

Classifying GovernmentsParliamentary Government: executive is

made up of the prime minister or premier and that official’s cabinet.

The prime minister/premier and the Cabinet are actually members of the legislative branch, the parliament.

Prime minister is the leader of the majority party.

Do not have a system of checks and balances.Ex) The British, most other Europeans, majority

of all other governments in today’s world

Classifying Governments

Prime minister and cabinet remain in power so long as their policies and administration have the support of the majority in parliament.

Majority of governments today are parliamentary, not presidential in form.

It tries to avoid deadlock between the executive and legislative branches.

Areas with Parliamentary Government

Classifying GovernmentsDictatorship: exists where those who rule

cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.

Oldest and most common form of government.Typically militaristic, gain power by force.All dictatorships are authoritarian, hold absolute

and unchallengeable power over the people.Often present the outward appearance of control

by the people.Ex) Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union,

People’s Republic of China.

Classifying GovernmentsOne person dictatorships are not common

today, but a few close approaches can be found in Libya (Muammar al-Qaddafi, 1969) and some other African and Arab states.

Forms of dictatorships:Autocracy: single person holds unlimited

power.Oligarchy: small, usually self-appointed elite

group holds the power to rule.

Fascist Italy Mussolini

Nazi Germany

Soviet Union Stalin

People’s Republic of China

Classifying GovernmentsDemocracy: supreme political authority

rests with the people.People hold sovereign power, and

government is conducted only by and with the consent of the people.

A democracy can either be direct or indirect.

Direct democracy: pure democracy, exists where the will of the people is translated into public policy (law), directly by the people themselves, in mass meetings.

Classifying GovernmentsDirect democracies work in small

communities.Does not exist at the national level

anywhere in the world today.Ex) Athens, GreeceIndirect democracy: representative

democracy, small group of persons chosen by the people to act as their representatives expresses the popular will.

Ex) Rome

Athens, Greece – Direct democracy

Rome – Indirect democracy (representative democracy)

Classifying GovernmentsRepresentative democracy - responsible

for day-to-day conduct of governmentGovernment by popular consent, government

with the consent of the governed. Held accountable to the people for that

conduct, especially at periodic elections. People have opportunity to express their

approval or disproval of their representatives by casting ballots for or against them.

United States – representative democracy

Chapter 1 – Section 3 Basic Concepts of Democracy

What are the basic concepts on which American democracy is built?

How does the operation of American government illustrate these basic concepts?

The Foundations of Democracy

Democracy exists because people believe in its concepts. It will exist as long as we believe and practice these democratic concepts.

The concepts of democracy in the United States can be described in 5 Ways.

1. Fundamental Worth of the IndividualImportance of each individual.

Each person’s worth and dignity must be respected by all individuals at all times.

However, sometimes the welfare of one or a few individuals is subordinated to the interests of the many in a democracy.

Ex) pay taxes, obey traffic signals, register for the Draft

2. Equality of All Persons“All men are created equal” - Jefferson

All are entitled to equality of opportunity

All are entitled to equality before the law

U.S. is still working towards this goal.

3. Majority Rule and Minority Rights

Will of the people determines public policy.Majority rules – satisfactory solutions to

public problems.Majority will be right more often than they

will be wrong.However, majority rule is restrained by

minority rights.Majority must be willing to listen to the

minority’s criticisms, objections, arguments, and suggestions.

4. Necessity of CompromiseDemocracy is a give-and-take among various

competing interests.Compromise: process of blending and

adjusting competitive views and interests – in order to find the position most acceptable to the largest number. Essential part of the democratic concept.

Need compromise because few public questions have only two sides, and individual is equal to all other individuals.

Compromise is a way of achieving majority agreement.

5. Individual Freedom

Democracy does not and cannot insist on complete freedom of the individual.

Anarchy: absolute freedom, but total absence of government. (Eventually leads to rule by the strong and ruthless).

Individual free to do as they please as far as the freedom of all will allow.

Human beings desire both liberty and authority.

Duties/Responsibilities of CitizenshipCitizen: one who holds certain rights and

responsibilities within a state. Duties of citizens: required by citizens.

Obey laws, go to school, and pay taxes. These duties are to benefit all citizens.

Responsibilities: strongly encouraged of citizens.

Ex) Age 18 or over – VOTE and be active in your communities.

“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” - John F. Kennedy