Unit 1: Foundations of American GovernmentPart I: Principles of GovernmentPart II: Origins of American Govt

Government Defined (Obj.1)

•What is government?• The institution through which a

society makes and enforces its public policies.•Public policies = all of the things

that the government decides to do.

Public Policies - Examples• Taxation – How much $$ should each person contribute?• Defense – How to keep us safe• Education – Public education is funded by the state• Crime – How to stop it, how to punish it, how to define it• Health care - regulating doctors and insurance companies,

funding clinics, regulating drugs• Transportation – Building/maintaining roads, public trans.• Environment – protecting natural resources, regulating

pollution, etc.• Civil rights – Protecting us from discrimination and

persecution• What else can you think of?

Purposes of Government

Purposes of Government…

1. “Form a more perfect Union” – bind the American people; in union there is strength

2. “Establish Justice” – Make laws that are reasonable, fair, and impartial

3. “Insure domestic tranquility“ – Ensure peace and order4. “Provide for the common defense” – Defend the nation

against foreign enemies5. “Promote the general welfare” – Provide services that

benefit most people 6. “Secure the blessings of liberty” – Ensure that all citizens

enjoy freedom

3 Basic Powers of Government1. Legislative Power: power to make the laws and frame public

policy2. Executive Power: power to execute (carry out), enforce, and

administer laws3. Judicial Power: power to interpret the laws, determine their

meaning, and settle legal disputes that arise in society.

These powers are usually laid out in the country’s constitution, which is a document that lays out the country’s fundamental principles, structures, and processes of government.

The Sovereign State (Obj. 2)

• State: a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically (with a government), and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority• The United States of America is a state. • There are 4 characteristics of a state.

4 Characteristics of a state1. Population• Doesn’t matter how many people, but there must be people• E.g. Island nation of Nauru only has about 9, 300 inhabitants;

China is the most populous state with about 1.4 billion people

2. Territory• Again, doesn’t matter how much. Nauru is about 8.1 square miles• Russia is the largest state, stretching about 6.6 million sq miles

3. Sovereignty• The quality of having supreme, absolute power over a territory

and the ability to decide policies without answering to a higher authority

4. Government• Political organization. Each state can choose its own form of govt

The origin of the state: 4 Theories (Obj. 3)

1. EVOLUTIONARY THEORY – the state developed naturally out of early families• 1st stage – the primitive family, with one person

serving as the head of the household, or “state”• 2nd stage – Clan(network of related families)• 3rd stage – Tribe (larger clan, may contain several

bloodlines)• 4th stage – State is born when tribes stop being

nomadic, settle in an area, and begin to farm

Origins of the state 2. Force Theory

One person or small group claimed control of an area and forced all in that area to submit to that person or group’s rule

Origins of the state3. Divine Right Theory

• God created the state and gave those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule. • Obey your ruler as

you would God• Opposing the king

would be treason AND a mortal sin

Divine Right, Cont.

Louis XIV of France James I of England

Origins of the State4. Social Contract Theory

• Most significant theory to the American political system• According to Thomas Hobbes, human life would

be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” without law and order. • Prior to the creation of the state….• People owned what they took by force• No authority existed to protect anyone• No one was subject to any superior power

Social Contract Theory (Obj. 4)

• Contract – agreement between 2 or more parties• Social Contract = agreement among individuals in a

society to abide by common rules• People agreed to give up some power to the State in

exchange for protection • The state arose out of the voluntary will of the people• The state exists to serve the will of the people• We can take or give as much power to the state as we want

• How does this differ from the Divine Right Theory?• How much power do the people have in the US today?

Social Contract Theorists

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

Social Contract Theorists, Cont.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1788John Locke (1632-1704)

Forms of Government (Obj. 5)• No two governments or

states are exactly alike, but political scientists sort them based on…• Types – Who rules and

participates in government• Systems – How power is

distributed• Geographically• Between the executive and

legislative branches

Types of Government1. Autocracy

• Government in which a single person holds unlimited power• 2 types:

1. Dictatorship: • exists where those

who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people

• oldest, most common form of government

2. Absolute Monarchy

Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany from 1933-1945

Autocracy (continued)

• Other famous dictatorships:• Fascist Italy (1922-

1943)• Soviet Union (1917-

1989)• People’s Republic of

China (1949-1976)

Joseph Stalin

Benito Mussolini

Mao Tse Tung

2. Oligarchy• Literally, “rule by few”• Government that is

ruled by a small, usually self-appointed group of elites• These “few” are

usually distinguished by royalty, family ties, corporate/military connections, or race

3. Theocracy•Government ruled by religious leaders•State is considered to be governed by God•Modern Example: Iran

4. Anarchy• No formal

government• Example – Somalia• Run by militias and

gangs• Somali pirates

5. Democracy

Direct•Everyone is involved in the decision making process•Ex: Ancient Greece•Does not exist at the national level anywhere in the world today

Representative•People vote for representatives to represent them in government•Government by popular consent•Ex: United States

Systems of Government (Obj.6)

Part I: Geographic SystemsIn every system of government, the power to govern is

located in one or more places geographically.

1. Unitary System of Government

• AKA Centralized Government• All power belongs to a single, central (national)

government agency• National govt can take or give power to smaller,

local governments as it chooses• Power is not shared between national govt and

local governments• Most governments in the world are unitary• Example: Great Britain

Map of all Unitary States in the world (in blue)

Unitary Government Examples

Great Britain•Governing body = Parliament•Parliament holds all the power, but has local govts. to help out with small, local issues•Parliament is still bound by Britain’s constitution

2. Federal System of Government

• Powers are divided between a central (national) government and smaller, local governments• Both levels have their own

laws, officials, and agencies• There is a higher authority

that makes the division of powers between the central and local governments

Example: the U.S.•Central (National) govt controls some things•50 states control other things•The Federal Govt cannot interfere with states’ powers•Our Constitution is the highest authority

3. Confederate System of Government

• Confederation: a loose alliance (friendship) of independent states• Weak central government that only has powers the states

give to it (usually just defense and foreign trade)• Central govt doesn’t usually make laws that apply to

individual people because the states have this power• Confederations are very rare• Examples: • The US Government under the Articles of Confederation• The Confederate States of America (South during the Civil

War)

Systems Part II: Distribution of power

between branches•Governments can also be grouped

based on the relationship between the executive and legislative branches.•2 Types: Presidential and

Parliamentary

Presidential System• Characteristics:• Separation of powers between executive branch and legislative

branch• Chief Executive (President) is…

• Chosen separately from the legislature• Holds office for a fixed term• Has some powers that are not under the direct control of the

legislature

• Separation of powers are spelled out in the country’s constitution• The United States invented the presidential system of

government• Most presidential governments are in the Western

Hemisphere

Parliamentary System• Characteristics:• Executive branch and Legislative branch are intertwined• Executive branch = The Prime Minister (PM) and his/her cabinet

(close group of advisors)• Legislative body = Parliament• The PM is the leader of the majority party in Parliament• The PM chooses his/her cabinet directly from members of

Parliament• People vote for members of Parliament. They do NOT vote on

the Prime Minister.• Therefore, the executive is chosen by the legislature, is part of

the legislature, and is subject to direct control by the legislature

Parliamentary System (Cont.)• The PM and his/her cabinet are often called “the government”• The government stays in power as long as Parliament supports

them• If Parliament defeats the PM/cabinet on an important matter, the

government receives a “vote of no confidence”• “Vote of no confidence” means the PM/cabinet must resign from

office• Then, a new government must be formed, 1 of 2 ways:

• Parliament chooses a new PM• A general election is held where the people vote on all seats of

Parliament. The new Parliament then picks a new PM

Parliamentary System (Cont.)

• Most governments in the world are parliamentary in structure• Advantages• Faster and easier to pass laws• Avoids ongoing conflict between executive and

legislative branches or between different political parties

• Disadvantages• No/less checks and balances• PM is not elected directly by the people

Example: United Kingdom• 2010 – Parliament is

dissolved, general election held

• Election resulted in a hung Parliament (no majority party)

• Previous PM Gordon Brown resigned, and Parliament chose David Cameron as PM

• PM Cameron chose his cabinet, including Nick Clegg, his deputy PM

Current PM: David Cameron