Principles of Government
1.1 – Government and the State
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Government is the institution through which
society makes and enforces its public
policies.
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The need for security
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One of the original purposes of
government is the maintenance of security
or order.
Definition of Order:
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A state of peace and security. Maintaining
order by protecting members of society
from violence and crimeactivity.
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Every government has to have authority,
that is, the right and power to enforce its
decisions and compel obedience.
When authority is accepted, we say it has
legitimacy.
Definition of Legitimacy: popular
acceptance of the right and power of a
government to exercise authority.
Monty Python
Quick Discussion

Turn to a person sitting next to you and
apply the idea of legitimacy to your life.

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(Example: Who are you more likely to
listen to about cleaning your room? Your
parents or your waiter at Applebee's?)
2-3 minutes and I’ll call on people to share.
Federal Government
• Located in
Washington D.C.
• Makes,
interprets, and
enforces laws for
the entire nation.
State Government
 Each state has its own and separate
government. Legislatures make laws and
the governors are the executives
State Capitol of Virginia
 Local Government
 Local governments are governed by city
council members and the city mayor.
 Local governments also include positions like
county commissioners, city clerk and school
boards members. These are all elected
officials.
Trenton, MI City
Hall
•The U.S. Federal
Government has and
exercises three basic
kinds of power:
•The power to make law and to frame public
policies
House of Representatives
Senate
•The power to execute, enforce, and
administer law. The power resides with
the President of the United States.
•The power to interpret laws
•To determine laws meanings
•To settle disputes that arise within a society.
9 Supreme Court
Justices total
Quick Discussion
With the same person you discussed with
last time, discuss what the differences are
between LEVELS of government vs.
BRANCHES of government.
You have 1-2 minutes and I’ll call on people to
share out.
•In popular usage, a state is often called a “nation” or a “country”.
•Population- To be a state, it must contain a population of
people.
•Territory- A state must have land, with known and recognized
boundaries.
•Sovereignty- It must have supreme and absolute power within
its own territory.
•Government- Each state must have a government
The 4 Origins of the State
The Force Theory – The state was born from the
result of force. A person or small group claims
control over and area and forced all within it to
submit to that person’s or group’s rule.
The Evolutionary Theory – The state developed
naturally out of the early family. Nomadic families
got bigger and bigger, and they essentially become a
tribe that gave up its nomadic ways and tied itself to
the land.
The 4 Origins of the State
The Divine Right Theory – God created the
state & God had given those of royal birth a
“divine right” to rule. For example, the Aztec
and Mayan civilizations were based on this
theory.
The Social Contract Theory – The state arose
out of a voluntary act of free people and exists
only to serve the will of people. Philosophers
such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes
developed this theory.
•Form a more perfect Union
•Establish Justice
•Insure Domestic Tranquility
•Promote General Welfare
•Secure Liberty
•Common Defense
So now we should understand the
purpose, role, and powers of
government.
Now, we’ll focus on types of
governments…
1.2 – Forms of Government
How do we classify governments?

“Who can participate in the governing
process”

“What is the geographic distribution of
governmental power within the state”

“What is the relationship between the
legislative and executive branches of
government”
•A system of government in which political authority is vested
in the people. Derived from the Greek words demos (“the
people”) and kratos (“authority”)
•A Democratic Republic is based on popular sovereignty, the
concept that ultimate political authority is based on the will of
the people, rather than with a king or a monarch.
•Popular Sovereignty: People hold the ultimate power over
government
•
There are two types of democracies
•
•
Representative- A form of government in
which representatives elected by the
people make and enforce laws and policies.
Direct- A system of government in which
political decisions are made by the people
directly, rather than by their elected
representatives
Quick Discussion

With the same person, identify which
type of Democracy the U.S. practices.


What are the strengths or weaknesses with
each?
3-4 minutes. I’ll call on people to share.
Representative Democracies
•A radical faction that broke away from the
socialist movement.
•Abolished capitalism
•Instituted socialism through a dictatorship
•Government controls all enterprises.
•Replaced free markets by central planning
 One ruler controls every aspect of life and is not
responsible to the will of the people.
 All dictatorships are authoritarian, and modern
dictatorships have tended to be totalitarian.
 The lesser of the two evils is authoritarian.
 Types of Dictatorships:
 Oligarchy - Power to rule is held by a small group of
self-appointed elite
 Autocracy - Single person holds unlimited power
•A political system that denies popular participation in
government and exercise complete power over nearly every part
of every day life.
Present day example of Totalitarian regime: North Korea
Fascism

An ideology that promotes nationalism and
unites behind an absolute ruler. Most famous
example was Nazi Germany.
•Monarchy- A political system in which power in passed
from generation to generation through blood
•Absolute Monarchy- King/Queen truly controls the
government
Constitutional Monarchy- Citizens elect
members of parliament
British Parliament
in session.
Sovereignty rests
with the people as
represented by
parliament
Parliament in Session vs You Lie!
Relationship Between Legislative and
Executive Branches

Presidential Government:
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The two branches are co-equal and independent
President is chosen independently of the
legislature
Parliamentary Government:

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Executive branch is made up of the prime minister
or premier, and that official’s cabinet.
The executive is chosen by the legislature, and
subject to its direct control.
Monarchies Around the World
Red: Absolute Monarchy
Orange: Semi-Constitutional Monarchy
Dark Green: Constitutional Monarchy
Light Green: Personal Union with Constitutional Monarchy
Pink: Sub-State level monarchy
Who is truly “free”?
Free
Partly Free
Not Free
The Cow System:
http://www.sjgames.com/illuminati/politics.html
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PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes
them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have
to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much
milk as you need.
FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires
you to take care of them and sells you the milk.
PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you
take care of them, and you all share the milk.
 RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take
care of them, but the government takes all the milk.
 CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The
government takes both of them and shoots you
DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both
and drafts you.
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Now we know the different types of
government around the world and how we
classify them
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Now:
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Basic Concepts of Democracy – 1.3
Geographic Distribution of Power
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Unitary Government – A centralized government
where all powers held by the government belong
to a single, central agency. This does not imply a
dictatorship.
Federal Government – The powers of
government are divided between a central
government and several local governments.
Sound familiar?
Confederate Government – An alliance of
independent states. Very rare today, the EU is
close.
5 Basic Concepts of a Democracy
1. Worth of the Individual
2. Equality of All People
3. Majority Rule, Minority Rights
4. Compromise
5. Individual Freedom (but not
anarchy!)
Apply this to the United States. Do we fulfill the 5 basic concepts of
democracy? Why or not?
Democracy and the Free Enterprise
• Our economic system is a free enterprise
system:
– A system characterized by the private ownership
of capital goods, investments made by private
decision and success/failure determined by
competition in the free market
– Law of Supply & Demand governs much of our
economy
Government’s Role in our Economy
• Our government does participate in our
economy though. It serves to:
– Protect the public and to preserve private
enterprise
– Regulations? Good or bad?
– A economy that exists with a considerable amount
of government regulation and promotion is called
a mixed economy.
Internet and Democracy
• The internet should inform more of us!
• It has drastically altered how campaigns are
run
• Could we ever see electronic voting?