Principles of GovernmentChapter One

1. Principles of Government2. The Formation of Government3. Types of Governments4. Economic Theories

Essays – Ch 1There are three types of economic systems. Explain each.

What are theyHow do they operate/How do governments enforce their decisions?How are they different/alike

 There are four characteristics of the democracy.

Identify the four characteristicsExplain why they are important/vital to a democracy

 The United States is an example of Social Contract theory of government.

Identify the two people who founded this philosophyExplain the statement in essay 3Give an example in America of a social contract

Vocabulary

Autocracy DemocracyCapitalism Free MarketCommand Economy RepublicCommunism SovereigntyConstitution State

• WHAT IS A STATE?• What makes up a state?• Who runs/how is a state run?

What is a STATE(A political community in a precise territory)

• Population: • a group of people who share a consensus or agreement about basic

beliefs and values

• Territory: • Established boundaries.

• Sovereignty: • The State has supreme and absolute authority within its boundaries.

• Government: • An institution that can maintain social order; provides public service

and enforces decisions that are binding on all its residents

Origins of the State

• Evolutionary Theory: The state evolved out of the family structure

• Force Theory: Those with the most force make the rules. People agree to follow out of fear

• Divine Right Theory: Rulers claim they are chosen by GOD/GODS.

• Social Contract Theory: To create a government, a social contract was made between the ruler and the ruled. (HOBBES and LOCKE)

• THOMAS HOBBES• STATE OF NATURE• Pessimistic• All men naturally selfish creatures• Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish• Gov’t needed to CONTROL natural law

• JOHN LOCKE• NATURAL RIGHTS• Optimistic• Gov‘t necessary to preserve natural law not control it• Men governed by Natural Reason

• AGREED UPON• All men are equal – no one is superior• Both philosophers• Respected NATURAL LAW• Wars will happen

HOBBES and LOCKE

• Thomas Hobbes • “State of Nature” People will agree to follow the

rules as long as their needs are met

• John Locke• “Social Contract” People will surrender their will

to the government if their needs are met.• “Natural Rights” Life, Liberty and Property • No right to revolt if rights are protected• But if needs are not met, they had the

right/responsibility to rebel and fight for a government that would protect them

Political Cartoons

• Go to page 31 in your books• Look at/Discuss the political

cartoon

• Class discussion

Purposes of Government

• Maintain Social Order• Provide Public Services• Provide Security and Defense• Provide for the Economy

• To fulfill these functions, government makes rules that everyone must follow and have the authority to punish those who do not follow them

Formation of Governments

• Unitary System: All the power is given to a central government• British system before revolution

• Federal System: Divides powers of government between national and state/local government. Each has sovereignty over certain areas

• Confederacy• US today – federal system of government

See page 20 for list of countries/types of government

Constitutions and Gov’t(a plan that provide the rules for government)

• 1) Sets out ideals that the people bound by the constitution believe in and share

• 2) Establishes the basic structure of government and defines the government’s powers and duties

• 3) Provides the supreme law for the country

Constitutional Government

• All governments have some sort of constitution (either written or unwritten)

• Some chose to follow their constitution very closely

• Some chose to empower their governments very differently than our Constitution

Constitutions

• Incomplete Guides: Intentionally vague

• Can’t foresee all things• Doesn’t reflect how government actually

works

• Statement of Goals: Preamble

• Framework for Government: plan for the government (structure/function)

• Highest Law:

Politics and Government

• Seeking Government Benefits• People participate in politics because they believe they can

influence lives in many ways• People participate in politics to influence how money is spent

• Importance of Politics• Politics provides a peaceful way to people to compete for

government favor

• Special Interests• Groups of people who band together to try to influence how/what

government is doing

Involvement in Politics

•VOTING – THE MOST IMPORTANT POWER YOU HAVE

• Advocating – working to get issues or laws addressed by the gov’t

• Demonstrating – actively protesting or marching for a cause

• Running for elected office – choosing to be a part of the governmental solution – create change from within

Governing in a Complex World

• Inequalities Among States• Industrialized Nations• Developing Nations

• Growing Interdependence• Nations today depend on each other, especially economically and

politically

• International Organizations• Groups operate on a worldwide basis

• National Liberation Organizations• Terrorist Organization• Multination Corporations• Organizations of States around the world• Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO’s)

Types Of Government

• Autocracy – Rule of One• Monarchy, Dictatorship• England/Netherlands, North Korea

• Oligarchy – Rule by a Few• China/Government by small party• Iran/Theocracy

• Democracy – Rule of the People• Direct – Each person votes on all issues

Town hall meetings• Republic – representative government

Modern democracies

Characteristics of DEMOCRACY

• Individual Liberty• All are born equal with inalienable rights• Government’s job is to protect those rights

• Majority Rule/Minority Rights• The majority gets to decide what the government does• Elections determine who/what is done by government• Minority’s rights cannot be voted away

• Free Elections• No fees, qualifiers to vote• Private/secret vote

• Competing Politics of Parties• Not just one political point of view involved• Differing opinions welcomed, invited

Essential Elements for a DEMOCRACY

• Citizen Participation • Citizens who inform themselves and choose to participate in politics

• A Favorable Economy• A large middle class (wealth broadly distributed)• Free Enterprise System (capitalism)

• Widespread Education• Most of the citizens are educated or have access to education

• A Strong Civil Society• Society with strong organizations that operate outside of the

government

• A Social Consensus• Society that shares a similar view – common democratic ideals (ie- voting by all, rights to all, opportunity to all)

Economic Theories** What/how much to produce** How should goods/services be produced/distributed** Who gets access to goods/services

•Capitalism p. 27-28•Socialism p.28•Communism p. 28-30•“Mixed Economy” p. 28

Capitalism• A market system in which buyers and sellers

compete to make money• Also known as FREE MARKET, which originally

meant the government placed no limits on economic decisions made by buyers or sellers (“laissez-faire”)

• Competition plays a KEY ROLE as sellers compete over resources to produce goods. Consumers compete over limited products to purchase

• Workers also compete as they sell their skills and labor for the best wages/salaries

US Capitalism

• US has a MIXED ECONOMY, which means while the US in definitely CAPITALIST, there are government regulations (that protect the public welfare) that impact the market• Government is the largest consumer of goods/services• Government regulates, to some extent, every industry• Great Depression opened the door to market place

regulations like minimum wage, work hours, social security

• But, along with government regulations, the government also fiercely protects the rights of the individual – like freedom to choose

Socialism• Economic system in which the government owns

the basic means of production (land, labor, capital ($$)), determines wages and provides social services like education, health care and welfare

• Basic theory is that most countries can produce enough wealth that no one should suffer hunger or homelessness• Government will control the basic things and provide

those without the need to make a profit, thus keeping costs much lower

- Those against SOCIALISM believe it interferes with free choice and places a high tax rate which hinders economic growth/choice

Communism• Industrial Revolution showed problems with a

capitalistic system – a struggle between the classes (rich vs. poor)

• Government planners decide how much, what to produce and how to distribute goods/services

• Also known as a COMMAND ECONOMY• State controls all economic activity• The only way this has worked, in reality, is under

totalitarian rule where the government controls EVERYTHING, especially the media

• Few communist nations still exist• North Korea, Cuba – still practice fairly pure communism• China – mixed economy – mostly communist, but some free

market thrown in

Essays – Ch 1• There are three types of economic systems. Explain each.

• What are they• How do they operate/How do governments enforce their

decisions?• How are they different/alike

•  • There are four characteristics of the democracy.

• Identify the four characteristics• Explain why they are important/vital to a democracy

•  • The United States is an example of Social Contract theory of

government. • Identify the two people who founded this philosophy• Explain the statement in essay 3• Give an example in America of a social contract