Bueller
Anyone, anyone?

Cheers--Albania with Coach and Sam
Chapter 1: Role
of Government
Government: an institution with the power to make
and enforce rules and regulations for a group of
people
Rules apply to everyone with the political unit
(state)
Sovereignty: the exclusive right of an independent
state to reign supreme and base absolute power over
a geographic region and its people
Laws: rules created or recognized by government
Public policy: what government decides to do or
not do; government laws, rules, or expenditures

In past—kings and queens receive power from God
 Legitimacy: rightful authority any government has
over its citizens

1600’s: Thomas Hobbes’ social contract
 People give up individual sovereignty to the state; in
exchange, the state provides peace and order

John Locke: government gets its power from the
people
 Natural rights: government should protect natural
rights of people; if not, people should revolt OR Basic
rights the government can not deny
Video
• Enforce laws that protect safety and security of people
and property
• Protect people from unfair business practice
1.
• Hiring/firing laws based of race, gender, religion
Maintaining
• Regulate commerce and trade
order
• Protect from foreign invasion
• Build roads
• Inspects food and medicine
• Mail
2. Providing • Assists needy
services
• Builds schools
3.
Resolving
conflict
• politics: the process by which people participating in gov.
express opinions about what gov. should or should not do
• court system
• values: basic principles by which people act and live their lives
4. Promoting • gov. helps promote values by passing laws and setting policies
Values
• the public interest or the well-being of society as a whole
• good gov. pursues policies for the good of the people
5. The Public • what is the common good??? All people have different views and gov. tries
to figure it out
Good
Section 2: Forms of
Government
Monarchies
Theocracies
Forms of
Government
Dictatorships
Democracies
Form of
Definition
Government
Source of
Authority
Monarchy
a. Absolute: King/queen has absolute power
b. Constitutional: King/queen power limited by a Constitution
Birth/Passed
down
Democracy
a.
1.
2.
3.
Presidential:
Executive and legislative branches are separate of each other
Chief executive is the president
Executive and legislative branches are chosen in separate
elections
The people
/elections
b.
1.
2.
Parliamentary:
Chief executive is prime minister
Executive is chose by the legislative branch (parliament)
Dictatorship
Theocracy
Power is with 1 or a small group of people
Political power in hands of religious leader
Force/secret
police/no
rights to the
people
Religion

CIA World Factbook



Unitary System
 central gov. holds all power
 local gov. has no power
Federal System
 National, state, and local gov. share powers
Confederate System
 Each state is represented in a central organization
 Central gov. carries out policies made by reps
Section 3:
Democracy


Direct democracy
 Laws are made directly by all citizens
Representative democracy
 People elect representatives to make decisions
 US gov is representative democracy
1. Allowing Choice
• Free Elections
• Free Speech
2. Recognizing Individual Worth
• All citizens are valued
• People have opportunity to succeed or fail
3. Promote Respect for Law
• If citizens participate in gov, they will respect the laws
• Citizens can challenge the fairness of a law
4. Protecting Minority Rights
• Majority rules
• Minority rights are respected
5. Promoting the Public Good
• If all citizens participate, decisions will be made to promote the public good