Political Systems- What should I Know at the end of this unit?
o Plato & Aristotle’s ideas about politics (3-4)
Plato’s ideas were: if the community is happy, individuals are happy. Aristotle believed
the government should tell people what to do and what not to do for the good of the
community.
o Formal & informal politics: government & legitimacy (4-5)
Formal politics are things such as public forums, social movements, media, citizens’
groups, or political parties. It is the official politics.
Informal politics are the everyday interactions between people. An example would be a
‘clique.’
o Divisions of government: bureaucracy, executive branch, legislative branch & judicial
branch (5-6)
Bureaucracy- are the people that put government decisions into action. Examples would
be teachers, people who work at the Department of Motor Vehicles, Revenue Canada,
etc.
Executive Branch- is usually made up of elected politicians. Example would be the Prime
Minister & his Cabinet. The executive makes decisions & puts them into action using the
bureaucracy.
Legislative Branch- The elected people who pass the laws.
Judicial Branch- The courts. Judges are usually appointed by the executive. This branch
decides what the laws mean.
o What is political science? Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, rule of law, constitutionalism,
Smith, Montesquieu, Marx, bourgeoisie, Equality of rights, opportunity & result (7-12)
Hobbes thought that human nature is inherently “nasty, & brutish” and need to be
protected from themselves. The best way to do this is by one person with absolute
authority.
Locke believed that people have rights (to life, liberty, & property)- and to protect these
rights, there needs to be a contract (or constitution) between the government & the
people. People are basically good and will behave reasonably. If the government violates
the rights of the people, the people should be allowed to rebel.
Rousseau: People are basically good until they are corrupted by society. Society is ruled
by the rich and powerful and is unlikely to protect those who are not. The government
should protect the rights, liberty & equality of the people. The majority does not always
do what’s in the best interest of all. He questioned the idea of private property.
Rule of Law: the law applies to everyone equally
Constitutionalism: which is the idea of having a written document that limits the power
of the government
Smith: “the capitalism guy” There should be minimal government; “laissez-faire”- leave
the economy alone & it will take care of itself. People are basically good and they will
make sure that those who need help are taken care of.
Montesquieu: called for a separation & balance of powers in government- not one
person or body should have all the power
Marx: “father of Communism”- he believed that eventually the working class (or
proletariat) would rise up against the wealthy people (the bourgeoisie) & take over the
government. All wealth and means of production would be owned and shared by the
people.
o
o
o
o
Equality of rights: everyone is equal under the law.
Equality of opportunity: fair & equal access to education & employment for all
Equality of result: people have similar economic and social success
Political power & Authority: Traditional, Legal (Magna Carta, convention, Constitutional
Monarchy) Autocratic (12-18)
Political Power & Authority: There is a difference between political influence & political
power; political influence has to do with using the media to spread your messagepoliticians can also give benefits, payments or tax cuts which can influence voters. Polls
can also influence elections. Politicians can both influence voters or be influenced by
voters.
Traditional Authority- hereditary monarchy where power is passed on through heirs. It
was commonly believed that the power of a monarch came from God- this belief is
known as divine right.
Legal authority- where power comes from a legal document like a constitution. Magna
carta- 1215-signed by King John & it limited his powers. Conventions are unwritten rules
or laws. Constitutional monarchy is when you a king or queen whose powers are limited
by a constitution.
o How governments change- elections, hereditary & designated succession, coup d’etat,
lobby groups & interest groups (18-23)
Elections: -Most orderly way of changing governments
-different systems affect how accurate the results are
-Who is eligible to vote determines whether a system is actually democratic
Hereditary and Designated Succession
-most often this is used in monarchies (king or queen) and the oldest child takes
control of the government when the parent dies
-dictators will sometimes use this too (Napolean made himself emperor for this
reason)
-in Communist countries, the current leader chooses who the next leader will be
Coup d’Etat
-
Overthrowing an existing government to replace with an autocratic one
Usually within 24 hours
Small group with military support
Lobby and Interest Groups
-
These are organizations (ex. NRA (National Rifle Association)) that lobby (influence
change)
Often times they have lots of money that they can raise to influence governments as
well
o Politics in daily life (24-30)- how the government effects our lives-laws such as seatbelt
laws- technology allows people to find out information more quickly- informed people,
informed voters- people know more about political issues- local to global- municipal
(town/city) /provincial/ federal (national)- global village- the world getting smaller
because of technology- information is sent more quickly so people know about
international issues
o Individuals in Politics/ voter apathy/ professional politicians (30-34)
Individuals in Politics
- Why do people do people become involved?
- For a important cause
- Private citizens can get together and make a difference
-
voter apathy
voters get frustrated because they feel like their votes don’t count; so they stop voting
In Canada, it’s the poor and also the young who aren’t voting
professional politicians
-people who take on being in politics as a profession & who get paid for it
-politicians’ lives are public knowledge
-freedom of information laws make what the government is doing public knowledge
-being a politician can be dangerous- risk of assassination
o Political & Social Ideologies:
o political ideology
o ideas or values that describes a political system, movement or way of thinking
o political spectrum
Liberal Left--Centre--Conservative Right
CommunismCentreFacsism
This is just a diagram that makes it easier to organize the ways that people think about
politics.
o Conservatism- conserving traditional political methods
o Liberalism- progressive method, advocates individual responsibility rather than
government intervention
o Authoritarianism-for little or no political opposition- government controls everything,
one political party or leader
o Anarchism- no rules/ no government- Property should should be communally owned
o Libertarianism- no rules/ no government- but they believe in private property
o Totalitarianism- government has total control over everything (more so than in
authoritarianism)/military enforced rules/secret police (38-46)
o Economic Theory & Political Ideologies: communism- bourgeoisie own the means of
production/ proletariat- working class- they sell their labor to the bourgeoisie- the idea
is that eventually the proletariat will rise up and overthrow their oppressors and form
their own government where everything is communally owned; state decides the lawsno democracy/ socialism- like communism but favor peaceful and democratic ways of
taking power- socialists allow opposition /democratic socialism- mixed economy-some
things are owned by the government; others are privatized. Centre of spectrum.
o CapitalismPeople on money are on top, then slowly works its way down to middle class and
working class. The idea that you have a free marketplace and competition. Adam Smith
came up with the theory. “Let the economy alone”- Laissez-faire. Also, it involves the
idea that the more money consumers spend, the better the economy will be.
Governments should not set taxes or interfere in the economy.
o FascismOne person controls everything. The state owns things but there is capitalism. Military
controls/ enforces things. There is usually a secret police that makes sure that the
people stay in line. Extremely right-wing. Usually is racist- is a police or military state.
o Blended ideologiesA combination of different ideologies.