Principles of Government
Chapter One
1.
2.
3.
4.
Principles of Government
The Formation of Government
Types of Governments
Economic Theories
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)
HOBBES and LOCKE
• Thomas Hobbes
• “State of Nature” Man lives in a state of war.
People will agree to follow the rules as long
as they are protected by their leader
• 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
Purposes of Government
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Maintain Social Order
Provide Public Services
Provide Security and Defense
Provide for the Economy
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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
• Federal System:
Divides powers of
government between national and
state/local government. Each has
sovereignty over certain areas
• Confederacy
• Federalism
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 choose 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:
for the government (structure/function)
• Highest Law:
plan
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
What is the same?
What is the difference?
Constitutional
Government
Government
with a
constitution
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
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National Liberation Organizations
Terrorist Organization
Multination Corporations
Organizations of States around the world
Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO’s)
Types of Government
(p. 18-21)
Use your book to fill in information
in the chart below:
Type of Government
(red headings)
Features
“Marooned”
•
You have been marooned on an
island out in the ocean. You need
to set up a society and adopt rules
and regulations
1)
2)
3)
4)
Develop a plan of how your government will
distribute jobs, build shelters, and gather food
How will you provide medical care and/or education
Will there be police/military
What will punishments be if they go against the
rules
Types of Governments
• Autocracy
(one person has all the authority and power)
• Monarchy, Dictatorship
• England/Netherlands, North Korea
• Oligarchy (a small group holds power)
• China (Communist party
• Iran (Theocracy)
• Democracy (rule is by the people, either through representatives or
directly)
• Direct – each person votes on all issues
– Town hall meetings
• Republic – representative government
– Most modern democracies (US, Japan, England)
Characteristics of
Democracy
• Individual Liberty
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All have rights (not absolute) the government cannot take away without going
through ‘due process’
• Majority Rule/Minority Rights
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All decisions by the government are made by vote (majority rules)
Rights are protected and not subject to a vote
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Each vote counts the same
Candidates have the right to express their opinions freely
Citizens are free to help the candidate of their choice
Legal requirements to vote are minimal (age, citizen)
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Political parties are groups of people with broad common interests who organize
to nominate candidates, win elections and then conduct government and
determine public policy
Focus voters’ attention on the issues by debating them publicly
Serve as “loyal opposition” by critcizing policies and actions of the party in power
• Free Elections
• Competing Political Parties
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Essential Elements
for a Democracy
• Citizen Participation
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Citizens who inform themselves and actively participate in politics
(campaigns and votes)
• A Favorable Economy
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A large middle class (wealth broadly accessed)
Free Enterprise/Market Economy
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Most of the citizens are educated, able to access education
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A society with strong organizations that operate outside of the
government
• Widespread Education
• A Strong Civil Society
• A Social Consensus
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Society shares common democratic ideas
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(Individual Liberties, Rule by Law, Limited Government
Economic Theories
What and how much to produce?
How should goods and services be produced?
Who gets the goods and services?
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Capitalism
Socialism
Communism
Mixed Economies
Economic Systems
• Capitalism
• An economic system providing free choice and individual
incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business
enterprises
• Socialism
• An economic system in which the government owns the
basic means of production, distributes the products and
wages, and provides social services such as health care and
welfare
• Communism
• An economic system in which the government controls ALL
major economic decisions
Economic
System
Who Owns the
Resources
Who Makes
Economic
Decisions
Capitalism
Individuals and
businesses
Individuals and
businesses
Socialism
People, through
their government
Representatives of
the people
Mixed Economy
Individuals,
businesses, and
government
Individuals,
businesses, and
government
Communism
(Command
Economy)
Government
Government
Capitalism
• Free Market:
the government places no limits on the
freedom of buyers and sellers to make economic decisions
• Laissez-Faire:
the market works with an “invisible hand”
guiding economic choices for the best possible results. The
actions of the buyers and sellers determine what is produced
and bought (and the price), not the government
• Competition:
Plays a key role in this type of economy
because sellers compete over resources to produce
goods/services and buyers compete over limited products to buy
what they want and need. Sellers also compete with each other
to sell their product to the consumer
Capitalism
(continued)
• Free Market in America
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Pure Capitalism does not exist
US Economy one of the most capitalistic in the world
Some government regulation, but market still primarily
Since the Great Depression, the US has operated with more
government regulation of its economy
• Mixed Economy
• When a country “mixes” elements of two economic systems –
like Capitalism and Socialism
• The US today is a mixed economy
• Opponents: believe capitalism allows the wealth to be
concentrated in the hands of very few
Socialism
An economic system in which the government owns the pasic
means of production, determines the use of resources, distributes
products and wages
• Social Reformers believe that with so much
productive capacity, NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO
SUFFER OR STARVE
• The government should direct the economy to
distribute goods and wealth more equally.
• Opponents of socialism say that it stifles individual
initiative and that higher tax rates hinder economic
growth
• Most European nations have a form of socialism
Communism
(Karl Marx)
• Capitalists are the ruling class and they control
most of the resources
• Proletariat is the working class. They do not
receive the full value of the labor
• History is filled with struggles between the classes
• Communism was a system in which there is only
one class, the working class
• All property/means of production would be held in
common for the common good
• Command Economy is one where the decision of
what to produce, who gets what resources, etc are
made by a central government unit
Chapter One Vocabulary
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Autocracy
Capitalism
Command Economy
Communism
Constitution
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Democracy
Free Market
Republic
Sovereignty
State
Quick Review
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4 Characteristics of a State
4 Origins of State
Hobbes/Locke
4 Purposes of Government
Unitary/Federal Forms of Government
Purpose of a Constitution
3 Types of Government
4 Characteristics of a Democracy
3 Economic Systems
5 Essentials for a Democracy to Thrive
Chapter One Essays
(Answer 2 of the 3 essays FULLY)
1) There are three types of economic
systems. Explain each.
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What are they
How do they operate/How do governments enforce their decisions
How are they different/alike
2) There are four characteristics of a
democracy.
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Identify the four characteristics
Explain why they are important/vital to a democracy
3) The United States is an example of a
Social Contract theory of government.
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Identify the two people who founded this philosophy
Explain the statement in essay 3
Give an example in America of a social contract