Introduction to American

GovernmentPower and

Government

Warm-up QuestionsRespond to the following questions in writing in

the next 10 minutes. Then discuss them with a neighbor.

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1. How would you describe who traditionally holds power throughout history?

2. Why has this group been the ones to hold power for so long?3. What is the source of power? In other words, where does ones

power originate?4. How does one obtain power if they want it? 5. How do you hold/maintain power once obtained?6. Lord Acton stated in 1887, "Power tends to corrupt, and

absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why or why not?

7. Make a list of all groups or individuals that hold power over you.

8. Make a list of all groups or individuals that you power over.

Power

"The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse." –James Madison

What did Mr. Madison mean?

James Madison, “Father of the Constitution”

What is Power?

•Power is the ability to influence the behavior of others to get the outcomes that one wants.

Sources of Power• Coercive Power

• Reward Power

• Legitimate or Position Power

• Expert Power

• Referent or Personal Power

What is Government?• The legitimate exercise of authority in

a state.• Authority – Power that people recognize as

legitimate.• Legitimate – Appropriate and lawful.• State – (A country or nation)

– A body of people living in a defined territory, organized politically, with sovereignty. • (the power to make and enforce law without the

consent of higher authority)

– Our concept of a “state” is different today.

Many Government Exercise Three Basic Kinds of Power

• Legislative Power – The power to make law and public policies.

• Executive Power – The power to execute, enforce and administer the law

• Judicial Power – The power to interpret the laws, determine their meaning and settle disputes.

Why do you think our Founding Fathers divided this power over three branches instead of just ONE, like under the Articles of Confederation?

Questions

King James I

King James I - Stuart Family

• King of England from 1603–1625• Proclaimed the Divine Right of Kings Theory

– Kings are Chosen by God– Born with Power– Kings are only accountable to God, not to any

person.– Subjects who argue with the King are

committing blasphemy against God.

• Implications?

Niccolo Machiavelli

(1469 – 1527)

The Prince• Controversial, condemned

by the Pope.• Focused on how Monarchies

should keep power• The quote “The end justifies

the means” has been used to describe his book.

• Princes should keep absolute control by any means possible.

Questions

Social Contract Theorists &

Enlightenment Thinkers

Thomas HobbesJohn Locke

Jean-Jacques RousseauBaron de Montesquieu

Social Contract Theorists

• Emerged during the period of Enlightenment.

• As other scientists were questioning math and science, some theorists were questioning assumptions about government.

What is a social

contract?An agreement among people

defining the rights and duties of individuals with each

other and with the government.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

• Hobbes challenged Divine Right Theory

• Did not challenge Monarchy - Any government is better than no government.

• Why? Must examine the State of Nature: Life without institutions, a primitive state before governments.

Hobbes and the State of Nature

• Wrote the Leviathan• Pessimistic - Man in

the state of nature is essentially equal and at “war”

• Without government, life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

• A constant struggle to survive against the evil of others

Hobbes and the Social Contract

• Out of fear, people want to be ruled.

• People enter into a social contract with the government.

• People give up rights and liberties in order to control society and to safeguard property.

• Individual obedience is necessary in order to stop the greater evil of an endless state of war.

John Locke

• English• 1632-1704• An Essay

Concerning Human Understanding

• Second Treatiseof Civil Government

Locke and the State of Nature• State of perfect freedom and equality

no king has the power to void those rights

– All human beings in their natural state were equal and free to pursue life, health, liberty and possessions (inalienable rights).

• In this state, everyone is the judge and jury.

• Creates problems – Gov’t remedies these problems.

• Governments allow man to pursue his goals more efficiently.

Lockeand the Social Contract

• Men enter into a social contract with the government to preserve life, liberty and property and to assure justice.

• From this state of nature people would not choose an absolute monarchy, they choose a society governed by standing laws, with power distributed among different groups.

• If the government acts improperly it breaks the contract with the people. Revolution in some circumstances is not only a right, it is an obligation.

Review the Views on the Social Contract

• Hobbes: the social contract restricts conflict in the state of nature by surrendering power and instituting justice.

• Locke: the social contract carries man from the state of nature to be governed in order to preserve liberties and property rights.

• Now…• Rousseau: the social contract limits the

power of the state and brings citizens closer to the state of nature.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

• Swiss - French• 1712-1778• On The Social Contract,

1762

Rousseau and the State of Nature

• “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” (Thesis)

• Natural State is freedom, but people in modern states are not free. Why?

• The only natural society is the family.

• Man in the state of nature may have been solitary, but he was healthy, happy, good, free and equal.

• Problems begin when people form societies.

• Original “tribal” societies were alright, but the introduction of property created inequality and jealousy.

• Cannot return to the natural state so we form governments to restore some of our freedoms.

Rousseau and the Social Contract

• The sovereign exists to safeguard the citizens, and the social contract is an agreement among the people.

• People renounce their natural rights

• Rights are redefined and individuals gain civil rights as citizens of the community.

• People give up their personal will for the general will.

• Government is only legitimate through agreement and people must periodically revisit the laws, and renew their consent.

• Ideal state is small enough to allow the citizens to know one another.

• The state has legitimate power only if it obeys the general will.

Baron de Montesquieu• “On The Spirit of Laws” 1748• Admired British system• Separation of governmental

powers into three divisions– the executive, who carries out

(executes) the laws– the legislative, who makes the laws, – and the judicial, who interprets the

laws.

• Tyranny can be avoided by dividing political power among different groups. (Separation of Powers)

• Tyranny can be avoided by keeping watch on the other branches of government (checks and balances)

• These would prevent anyone from gaining a monopoly of power.

Questions

Forms of Government

Geographic Distribution of PowerAuthoritarian vs. Democratic (Who holds the

power?)Methods of Representative Democracy

Three basic forms of government

• Unitary – a “centralized government”– All powers belong to

a single central agency•Usually due to size of

country being small

– Ex: England, Japan, Spain

– Unitary does not mean “dictatorship

• Confederation – alliance of independent states. – Ex: U.S.

under the Articles of Confederation, Civil War South, Switzerland, European Union

• Federal – powers are divided between central government and regional governments. – Ex: U.S.,

Mexico, Canada

Who Holds the Power?Democracy

• In a democracy, the government is elected by the people. Everyone who is eligible to vote has a chance to have their say over who runs the country. It is distinct from governments controlled by a particular social class or group (aristocracy; oligarchy) or by a single person (despotism; dictatorship; monarchy).

• A democracy is determined either directly or through elected representatives.

• Examples of Representative Democracies: U.S., Russia, Chile, Rwanda, Indonesia

• Examples of Direct Democracies: Greece under Pericles, New England town hall meetings, California’s ballot proposition system.

Who Holds the Power?Autocracy

• Government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism (domination through threat of punishment and violence) .

This could be a monarchy, dictator, or a totalitarian leader.

Who Holds the Power?Oligarchy

• A government in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power.

Examples of oligarchies are: South Africa before apartheid, Athens under aristocratic rule, ancient Sparta, most tribal governments.

Who Holds the Power?Monarchy

• A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress.

• The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s heirs.

• In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power.

• But a constitutional monarchy, like the UK, also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control.

• Constitutional Monarchy examples: Morocco, Laos, Bahrain, Jordon, Japan, United Kingdom

• Absolute Monarchy examples: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Vatican City

Who Holds the Power?Dictatorship

• A country ruled by a single leader. The leader has not been elected and may use force to keep control.

• In a military dictatorship, the army is in control.

• Examples: Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, Myanmar

Who Holds the Power?Anarchy

• Anarchy is a situation where there is no government. This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place.

• Anarchists are people who believe that government is a bad thing in that it stops people organizing their own lives.

Who Holds the Power?Republic

• A republic is a country that has no monarch.

• The head of the country is usually an elected president.

Who Holds the Power?Totalitarian

• This is a country with only one political party.

• People are forced to do what the government tells them and may also be prevented from leaving the country.

• Examples: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Castro

Different methods of Representative Democracy

• Parliamentary Gov’t– Leg Branch (aka

parliament) - Voters elect– Exec Branch - chosen by

the legislature, often a member of the legislature

– Jud Branch - appointed.

• Presidential Gov’t– Leg Branch -

Voters elect– Exec Branch –

voters elect– Jud Branch -

appointed.

Questions