Government
The Foundations Of U.S. Government
Why Does Government Exist?
 Government Exist for one reason and one reason only:
Protection
What is Government?
 Government is the institution through which public policy is
made and enforced.
2 Basic Forms of Government
 Democracy
 Authoritarian
Rare in history of mankind
Considered “a dictatorship of
the majority”
More common
More Durable
Democracy
 Not a U.S. invention. It was practiced in Ancient Greece and
not so Ancient England
 Athens Greece is the Birthplace of Democracy.
 Demo is a Greek word meaning people. Cracy is to rule.
 Therefore Democracy means “People Rule”!
Hammurabi
 1st to codify law.
 Examples:
If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.
If a man has knocked out the eye of a patrician, his eye shall be
knocked out.
Aristotle
“ Man is by nature a political
animal.”
Lord of the Flies
Anarchy
 Anarchy – A total lack of government.
Personal Responsibility (AP only)
 Where does power lie?
 In people or government.
 Why do we blame others for our behavior
 Can govt. exist without people support.
Mr. G. does not support political refugees.
People have the power to change their govt.
The State
 A body of people living in a defined territory, organized
politically, and having the power to make and enforce law
without the consent of a higher authority.
(No 2 States are the Same)
(Is Texas a State Under This Definition?)
The State
 Four Parts:
 Population
 Territory
 Government
 Sovereignty
Laws: Rules of Behavior
The State
The largest State in terms of territory: Russia
The largest State in terms of population: China
The State
 Is the dominate political unit in the world.
The State – Other Terms
Country is Geographic
Nation is Ethnic
THE 4 THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF
STATES

1. Force Theory – The belief that one person or a small
group of people claimed control and forced people to
submit to rule.
THE 4 THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF
STATES
 2. Evolutionary Theory – Over the years an original family
became a network of families (clan) then to a tribe, settled
down and turned to agriculture.
THE 4 THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF
STATES
 3. Divine Right Theory – God gave those of royal birth the
right to rule.
 Accepted in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Today’s govt. exists as an
argument against this theory.
 Magna Carta – The beginning of the end of Divine Right Rule.
THE 4 THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF
STATES
 Social Contract Theory – Belief that people gave up some of
their sovereignty in order to promote the safety and well
being of all (protection).
Legacies of Social Contract Theory
 Popular Sovereignty
 Limited Govt.
 Individual Rights
3 People Who Contributed To The
Social Contract Theory
 Thomas Hobbes – People created a state to improve their
lives because life was nasty short and brutish.
 People surrendered ALL of their freedoms in order to do so.
3 People Who Contributed To The
Social Contract Theory
 John Locke – People had natural rights to life, liberty, and
property –
 they agreed to obey govt. and pay taxes and follow
reasonable laws if the ruler protected their natural rights.
3 People Who Contributed To The
Social Contract Theory
 Jean Jacques Rousseau – If govt. does not look after the best
interest of its people, the people have a right to rebel.
Classifications of Government
 A. Geographic Distribution:
 1. Unitary
 2.Federal
 3. Confederate
 B. The Nature of the Relationship between the Legislative and
Executive Branches
 1. Presidential
 2. Parliamentary
 C. The Number of People Who Participate
 Authoritarian
 Democracy
Geographic Distribution
(Where The Power Is)
 1. Unitary – (Centralized Govt.) Form of Govt. in which all
powers are held by a SINGLE agency. Local units have only
those powers the central govt. gives it.
 Ex: Great Britain (England) – Parliament
Geographic Distribution
(Where The Power Is)
 Federal – Govt. in which powers are divided between a
central govt. and several local govts., but are still controlled
by an authority superior (constitution) to both the central
and local govts.
 Ex: The United States
Geographic Distribution
(Where The Power Is)
 Federalism - Means Power is Shared.
 THE CONSTITUTION IS THE SUPREME LAW OF THE
LAND
Geographic Distribution
(Where The Power Is)
 Confederate – An alliance of independent states.
 The central organ of this state has only those powers that the
member state gives it.
 Ex: The U.S. under the Articles of Confederation. (Valley Forge) The
South during the civil war. (Today: The United Nations)
The Nature and the Relationship
Between the Legislative and Executive
Branches
 Presidential:
 Separation of Powers
 Executive is Chosen Independently of the Legislature
 Fixed term
 Broad Powers Not Subject To Direct Control of the Legislature
 Ex: U.S.
The Nature and the Relationship
Between the Legislative and Executive
Branches
 Parliamentary – Executive is made up of a prime minister or
Premier and a cabinet.
 They are all members of the legislative branch.
 The leader has an indefinite term, and comes from the
majority party in power or a coalition of parties.
Montesquieu
 1st Person to suggest that government be broken into 3
separate branches.
 Executive – Enforces the Law
 Judicial – Interprets the Law
 Legislative – Makes the Law
C. Number of People Who Participate
 1. Authoritarian – System in which those in power hold
absolute control over the people.
 A. Dictatorship – Power is held by one person or a small group. (oldest




and most common, usually gained by force)
 (sometimes dictatorships have outward appearance of democracy by
holding elections. Ex: Hitler)
B. Totalitarian – Controls every aspect of human affairs.
C. Monarch – Power is inherited.
D. Oligarchy – Rule by the few.
E. Aristocracy – Rule by the wealthy and well educated.
C. Number of People Who Participate
 2. Democracy – Power rests with the people.
 A. Direct Democracy – (Pure) System of Govt. in which the
people participate directly in the decision making process by
voting. (Does not exist on a national level.)
Ex: Town Meeting
 Representative Democracy – (Republic) System of govt. in
which people elect officials to represent them INDIRECTLY in
making laws. Periodic elections hold officials accountable.
 World’s Largest Democracy is India.
Other Terms You May Have Heard
 Socialism, Communism, and Capitalism, are all economic
systems, but questions of Politics and Economics are
INSEPARABLE.
Capitalism
 Capitalism – Economic system based on the private
ownership of land, individual initiative, profit, and
competition.
 Laissez Faire – French term “to let alone” government does not
interfere in economic affairs.
Socialism
 Socialism – Economic and political system based on the
public ownership of the means by which goods and services
are produced, distributed, and exchanged.
Communism
 Based on the theories of Karl Marx.
 A more extreme form of socialism, where government owns
all the land, and means of production.