Principles of Government
Key Terms
state, nation, nation-state, consensus, sovereignty,
government, social contract
Find Out
• What are the four main purposes of government?
• How do various theories explain the origin of
government?
Principles of Government
Understanding Concepts
Public Policy Which policies of the government
make your life better? Which do you think make
life worse?
Section Objective
Identify the essential features of a state and describe
the theories about the origin of government.
In the last 50 years the number of
countries in the world has more than
doubled. In 2000, there were 196
independent countries, each with its own
people and government.
I. Essential Features of a State (pages 6–8)
A. Population, the most obvious essential
feature of a state.
B. An area with fixed boundaries.
C. Sovereignty, or absolute authority, within its
territorial boundaries.
D. A government which maintains order,
provides public services, and enforces
decisions that its people must obey.
I. Essential Features of a State (pages 6–8)
I. Essential Features of a State (pages 6–8)
U.S. citizens sometimes complain about
government, claiming it has too much
power and control over their lives. Why
do you think they feel this way?
People usually complain about government
when it affects them directly.
II. Theories of the Origin of the State (page 8)
A. The state evolved from the family group.
B. One person or a group used force to
establish its authority to govern the people.
C. The rulers of the people were chosen by the
gods to govern.
D. The people gave the government its power to
rule them, and in return the government had
to respect the people’s rights.
II. Theories of the Origin of the State (page 8)
During World War II the government imposed
hardships, such as the rationing of gasoline
and food, on the U.S. population. Are such
measures justifiable? Why or why not?
When national security is threatened, strong
measures are needed.
III. The Purpose of Government (pages 9–11)
A. Governments are needed to maintain social
order by making and enforcing laws.
B. Governments provide essential services for
people, such as promoting public health
and safety.
C. Governments protect people from attack by
other states and from internal threats such
as terrorism.
D. Governments pass laws that shape and
control the nation’s economy in various ways.
III. The Purpose of Government (pages 9–11)
Do you think the government has too much
or too little control over the economy of the
United States?
Answers will vary. Students should support
their opinions with examples.
Checking for Understanding
1. Main Idea In a graphic organizer similar to the
one below, identify four major purposes of
government and give an example of each.
Answers might include: maintain social
order—police and courts; provide public
services—highways and firefighters; provide
national security—army and navy; establish
and regulate an economic system—banks
and currency.
Checking for Understanding
Match the term with the correct definition.
___
A social contract
A. theory that by contract, people
surrender to the state the power
needed to maintain order and the
state, in turn, agrees to protect
its citizens
___
C sovereignty
B. an agreement about basic beliefs
___
E nation
C. the supreme and absolute
authority within territorial
boundaries
___
D nation-state
___
B consensus
D. a country in which the territory of
both the nation and state coincide
E. group of people united by bonds
of race, language, custom,
tradition, and, sometimes, religion
Checking for Understanding
3. Identify Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke.
Aristotle, a scholar in ancient Greece, was one
of the first students of government. He studied
the polis, the ancient Greek city-state.
Thomas Hobbes was one of the first to
theorize on the social contract.
John Locke wrote that people were naturally
endowed with the right to life, liberty, and
property. Locke believed that people had the
right to break the contract when the
government failed to preserve the rights of
the people.
Checking for Understanding
4. Summarize the divine right and social
contract theories.
The divine right theory holds that the state comes
from a god and that rulers are descended from or
chosen by a god. The social contract theory says
people give power to the state so the state may
preserve order and rights.
Critical Thinking
5. Making Comparisons Thomas Hobbes and
John Locke both subscribed to the social
contract theory of government. Analyze their
views of that theory.
Both believed that people surrendered to the
state the power needed to maintain order, but
Locke believed that people had the right to
break that contract when government failed to
preserve the rights of the people. Hobbes did
not believe they had that right.