Chapter 1: Freedom, Order or
Equality
Warm Up (Daily Dilemma): DD1 Which is
better, to live under a government that
protects individual freedom or under one
that infringes on freedom while guarding
against threats to security?
-Hamdi case
DD#2
Which is better: to let all citizens keep
the same share of their income or to
tax the wealthy at a higher rate?
The Great Recession
• In 2009 the unemployment rate was at 10.2% (and
17.3% counting people who had given up looking for
work).
• More than ½ of all unemployed workers borrowed
money from friends or relatives & 60% drew down
their savings accounts
What should governments do to end
such intense economic downturns?
The Globalization of American
Government
•Governments
behavior.
are instituted to control human
•In
the past, governments generally have recognized
national sovereignty, which means governments
have the right to rule its territory as it sees fit,
without the intrusion of other governments and
institutions.
•As
we have become more of a global society,
governments and institutions have become
increasingly involved in the actions of other nations.
• National sovereignty is threatened under
globalization because of the pressure for
international law to govern behavior
• Human rights are an area that has drawn such
attention.
• “Protection of human rights must ‘take
precedence over concerns of state sovereignty.’”
Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the
United Nations
• How has this shift impacted our national
sovereignty?
– U.S. pulling out of the International Criminal Court
treaty
– Concern that U.S. soldiers abroad may be arrested and
tried in such a court.
– U.S. is being pressured to eliminate the death penalty.
• The U.S. has strong economic,
political and social ties to countries
throughout the world, should this be
taken into consideration when
making policy decisions here in the
United States?
The Purpose of Government
• All governments require individuals to give up
some level of freedom in order to receive the
benefits provided by government.
• There are three basic purposes of
government:
– Maintaining Order
– Providing Public Goods
– Promoting Equality
The Purpose of Government
• Maintaining Order is the first role of
governments, it can be accomplished in 3 ways:
– Establishing the rule of law to preserve life
• Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679)
– Believed that without government life would be “solitary, poor,
nasty, brutish, and short.”
– Saw a strong, single sovereign as the only way to maintain order.
– Authoritarian rule
– Preserving Private Property
The Purpose of Government
• John Locke (1632 – 1704)
– Protection of “life, liberty, and property” is the main
objective of government.
– Where have we heard that before??
– Preserving Property for All
• Karl Marx (1818-1883)
– Communism – “from each, according to their ability,
to each, according to their need.”
– Ownership of all land and productive facilities Is given
to “the people” (i.e. the government)
The Purpose of Government
• Once order is established, governments can
begin to provide public goods.
– Governments must tax citizens to provide public
goods.
– Public goods benefit all members of a society, but
are not usually provided by private citizens.
What are some examples of public
goods?
The Purpose of Government
• Promoting Equality is a controversial role of
governments
– Came about in the 20th century, after industrialization
and urbanization.
– Idea of the Welfare State emerged in Europe
– Guaranteed income, “from the cradle to the grave.”
– Should the government redistribute income?
• Social equality can also be promoted by
government by passing such laws as:
– Civil Rights
– Affirmative Action
A Conceptual Framework…
• Our text offers five concepts through which to
study government.
GOALS OF GOVERNMENT- what the gov’t tries to
do:
– Freedom
– Order
– Equality
HOW DEMOCRACIES TRY TO DO IT:
– Majoritarian Democracy
– Pluralist Democracy
The Concepts of Freedom, Order and
Equality
• Freedom can be broken down into
two senses:
• “Freedom of,” which includes:
• The absence of constraints
• Freedom of religion,
freedom of speech
• Liberty
• “Freedom from,” which
includes:
• Immunity from something
• Freedom from fear and
want
When “freedom” is used by the
• Equality
authors, it will generally refer to
“freedom of.”
Order
• Order, as defined by the textbook, includes
– Preserving life
– Protecting property
– Maintaining traditional patterns of social
relationships
• Order is maintained
through the government’s
police power.
Equality
• Equality is also broken down into more specific senses:
– Political equality
• One person = one vote
• Does a persons influence and access make them
“more equal?”
• Social equality
– Do people need to be equal in wealth, education and
status in order to achieve political equality?
• Two routes to social equality
• Equality of opportunity
• Equality of outcome
Two Dilemmas of Government
1. Freedom vs. Order
How much freedom are you willing to give up in
order to ensure a safe and orderly society?
How much order are you willing to give up in
order to ensure your freedoms?
This American Life episode
2. Freedom vs. Equality
• The Equal Pay Act requiring employers to pay
women and men the same rate for equal work
– Employers are forced to pay more than they
would if their pay was based on free choice
• Bussing of schoolchildren to achieve a fair
distribution of blacks and whites in schools
– Impaired freedom of choice for educational
equality
When forced to choose, Americans are more
likely to choose freedom over equality
Ideology and Government
Most Government
Totalitarianism
Least Government
POLITICAL THEORIES
Libertarianism
Anarchism
ECONOMIC THEORIES
Socialism
Capitalism
Laissez Faire
AMERICAN SYSTEM
Liberals
Conservatives
Political Theories
• Totalitarianism:
– Government should have unlimited power in all areas.
• Libertarianism
– Government’s role is only to protect life and property.
– Laissez faire economics – leave it be
• Anarchism
– Government is unnecessary.
•
Values freedom above all else.
Economic Theories
• Socialism:
– An economic system based on Marx’s ideas. Government
has significant control over the economy, usually owns or
controls, at least, the basic industries.
• Democratic Socialism
– Countries allow civil liberties, free elections and political
parties
• Capitalism
– Free Enterprise
– Limited or no government interference in business
The American System
Liberals and Conservatives
• Liberals
– Purpose of government should be to protect
equality, but not order
• Conservative
– Purpose of government is to enforce order rather
than equality.
Section 3: A Conceptual Framework for
Analyzing Gov’t
Equality
Two-Dimensional Classification of Ideologies
Liberals
Communitarians
Freedom over Order
Equality over Freedom
Order over Freedom
Equality over Freedom
Libertarians
Conservatives
Freedom over Equality
Freedom over Order
Freedom over Equality
Order over Freedom
Freedom
•A
Freedom
Order
DD #3
What is more “equal,” equality of opportunity or
equality of outcome?
Why does equality of outcome show the
dilemma of equality vs. freedom?