Why is government necessary?
 Governments serves many functions
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Protects the people from outside attacks
Protects people from inside violence (crime)
Ensures that all people have their basic needs met
Provides education
Ensures adequate healthcare
Protect individual liberties
 What are some other functions of gov?
Government Basics:
 Government: the institution through which society makes and
enforces its public policies
 Public Policy: all the decisions that a government makes for its people
 Government must have POWER to make & carry out its public
policies
 Types of Powers:
 Legislative Power: the power to make law/policy
 Executive Power: the power to carry out & enforce law/policy
 Judicial Power: the power to define & interpret the law and the power to settle
disputes
 Constitution: a country’s basic beliefs about government including its
principles, structure, framework, and processes – usually written.
 Politics: the process thru which government is conducted
The State:
 The State is the dominate political unit
 A State must have the following:
 Population: the people living in a state.
 Homogeneous: all people share a common culture, language, ideology, etc
 Heterogeneous: people come from different cultures, languages, etc.
 Defined Territory: the land a state occupies w/set & recognized
boundaries
 Organized Government: a way of making & enforce laws
 Sovereignty: supreme and absolute power w/in own boundaries –
no other state can claim power over it
Development of Government
 Evolutionary Theory:
 Developed naturally from the family structure
 One family member gained more respect/power &
became the designated leader
 Force Theory:
 Developed as one person or group took control through
military strength
 Divine Right Theory:
 The belief that the right to rule came from their God
 Social Contract Theory:
 The belief that government is a “contract” between the
people & the leaders
 Leaders provide order & protection
 People give up certain rights
 Developed by Thomas Hobbes & John Locke
Types of Governments:
Autocracies
(Totalitarian Regimes)
 Dictatorships: a type of
government controlled by 1
person w/absolute control
(North Korea)
 Absolute Monarchy: a type of
government controlled by a
king/queen (Saudi Arabia)
Oligarchy:
a type of government controlled
by small group
(China, former USSR)
Republics
 Republic: a government ruled by
the people
 Democracy: a government in
which the supreme authority rests
with the people
 Direct democracy: all citizens rule
(New England townships)
 Indirect/Representative Democracy:
citizens rule thru elected
representatives (USA)
 Constitutional Monarch:
 King/Queen acts as a figurehead
 Governing power held by an elected
representative assembly (Great
Britain)
Types
of
Governments
Autocracy
Democracy
Governments
ruled by
absolute
leader (s)
Governments
ruled by the
people
Direct Democracy
(Pure Democracy)
The people make all
decisions of the
government via
meetings & voting.
Indirect Democracy
(Representative
Democracy)
The people elect
representatives to
make government
decisions
Republic
The people who are
eligible to vote
choose the
representatives to
make government
decisions
Constitutional
Monarchy
The nation has a
king/queen, but is led
by an elected group of
people. Example,
Great Britain
Dictatorship
The power to rule
is held by 1
person
Absolute
Monarchy
The right to rule
is handed down
from generation
to generation
Oligarchy
The power to rule
is held by a small
group of
individuals
Military
Dictatorship
The ruler is put in
power by the
military
Distribution of Power
 Unitary System of Government
 Most power held by a strong central government
 State/local government serve only to carry out the duties of the central government
 Examples: Great Britain (England) & France
 Federal System of Government
 Power is held equally between a central government and state/local governments
 Division of Powers – each level has specific powers that they can exercise
independently
 Examples: United States & Germany
 Confederation
 An alliance between independent states to work together
 Extremely strong state governments
 Central authority holds little true power, usually only authority of trade and defense
 Examples: the European Union & United Nations
Systems of Power Distribution
Unitary
Federal
State &
Local gov
Central
gov
Central
gov
Central
gov
State &
Local gov
Confederation
State &
Local gov
Presidential v. Parliamentary Systems
Presidential System
 Executive & legislative
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branches are independent of
each other
President is chosen by the
people
Each branch has separate
authority
Legislative & executive can
check the other’s authority
Example: USA
Parliamentary System
 The executive (Prime
Minister) is the leader of the
legislative branch
 The PM is under the
parliament’s authority
 Can be removed from office
via a “no confidence” vote by
parliament
 Example: Great Britain
Five Basic Beliefs of American
Democracy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Recognition of the fundamental worth of the individual
Respect for the equality of all persons
Faith in majority rule w/respect to minority rights
Understanding of the necessity to compromise
Insistence on individual freedoms
The Basic Beliefs Explained…
 Worth of the Individual:
 Each individual is a separate & distinct being
 Sometimes the rights of the individual must give way to the whole
 Equality for all persons:
 American gov. guarantees two types of equality
 Equality of opportunity: no person can be held back on basis of gender, race,
religion, etc.
 Equality under the law: law applies equally to all persons
 Recognizes that all men are not created “equally,” but they should
still be treated “equally”
The Basic Beliefs Continued
 Majority Rule/Minority Rights:
 Will of majority is what decides public policy thru elections
 Assumes that the majority will is right more that it is wrong
 To protect the “minority” will, laws are in place to protect the minorities from
discrimination
 Necessity of Compromise:
 Compromise is the blending or adjusting of beliefs to meet the needs of the most
people
 Individual Freedom:
 People must be as free as possible
 A person’s rights extend only as far as they do not interfere in another’s rights
“…my right to throw a punch ends
where another’s nose begins…”
Purposes of American Government
 Located in the PREAMBLE to the Constitution
 Preamble lists the goals & objectives of the US
government
 We the People of the United States,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
in order to form a more perfect union
Establish Justice
Insure Domestic Tranquility
Provide for the Common Defense
Promote the General Welfare
And to Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our posterity
 Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America