State versus Nation
• A state is a political community in a precise
territory.
• A nation refers to a sizable group of people
united by common race, language, custom or
religion.
• Countries in which the territories of both
the state and nation coincide are referred
to as nation-states.
Four Essential Features of a State
1. population—the people
2. territory—established boundaries
3. sovereignty—supreme and absolute
authority within its boundaries
4. government—central institution
United States Acquisitions
Essential Features of a State (cont.)
• Government is the institution through which
a state:
– maintains social order;
– provides public services; and
– enforces decisions that are binding on all its
residents.
Theories of origins of the State
1. Evolutionary Theory
– The state evolved from the family.
– The head of the primitive family served as
government authority.
2. Force Theory
– The state was born of force, or the need to
resist an enemy.
– A state emerged when everyone in an area
was brought under the authority of one
person or group.
3. Divine Right Theory
– Certain people are chosen by a god or gods
to rule.
– Divine right describes European
monarchs in the 1600s and 1700s.
• Social Contract Theory
– Thomas Hobbes promoted the idea of a
social contract in which people
surrendered their freedom to the state, but
in return they received order and security.
– John Locke believed that in a state of
nature, men and women had certain
natural rights including the rights to:
• life,
• liberty, and
• property.
Purposes of Government
• Four primary purposes:
1. Maintain social order
2. Provide public services
3. Provide security and defense
4. Provide for the economy
Government Systems
• Two primary systems of government:
1. Unitary system
• Gives key powers to the central
government.
2. Federal system
• Divides key powers between national and
state government.
Constitutions and Government
• Constitution - An incomplete guide that
states goals and provides a framework for
governing.
• Constitutional government - limits the
powers of those who govern.
• Most written constitutions describe the
procedure for amending, or changing,
the constitution.
Politics and Government
• Politics – The struggle to control government
and manage societal conflicts that could
influence the lives of individuals.
• People participate in politics to:
1. Influence what benefits and services the
government supplies
2. Turn their values and beliefs into public
policy.
Politics and Government (cont.)
• Politics can affect several key matters:
– Air and water quality
– Economic conditions
– Peace and war
– Citizen’s rights and freedoms
Governing in a Complex World
• Inequalities among countries can be divided
into two major groups:
– Industrialized nations - Nations with large
industries and advanced technology to
provide a comfortable way of life.
– Developing nations - Nations that are only
beginning to develop industry.
Major Types of Government
• Aristotle’s three major types of governments
are:
1. Autocracy:
– One person has all authority.
– Example: A monarchy in which a king,
queen or emperor inherits the throne and
heads the state.
Comparing Governments
Major Types of Government (cont.)
2. Oligarchy:
– A small group holds power.
– Oligarchs derive their power from wealth,
social position, military power or a
combination of these.
– Example: Former Soviet Union
3. Democracy:
– The people govern either directly or
through representatives.
– In a republic voters elect representatives.
Characteristics of Democracy
• Four main characteristics:
1. Individual liberty
• All people are as free as possible to
develop their talents.
2. Majority rule with minority rights
• Elected representatives enact laws that
reflect the will of the majority of
lawmakers.
• The rights of the minority are respected
and protected.
Characteristics of Democracy (cont.)
3. Free elections
• Everyone’s vote carries the same weight.
• Citizens vote by secret ballot
without coercion or fear of
punishment.
4. Competing political parties.
• Rival parties make elections
meaningful by giving voters
a choice.
Essential Elements for a Democracy
• Five essential elements:
1. Citizen Participation
• Citizens must be willing to participate in
civic life.
2. Favorable Economy
• The economy must be prosperous and
distribute wealth to many members of
society.
3. Widespread Education
•most people are educated.
Essential Elements for a Democracy (cont.)
4. Strong Civil Society
• Civil society is made up of a network of
voluntary associations—economic,
political, charitable, religious, and many
others that exist outside of government.
5. Social Consensus
• Most people accept democratic values
and generally agree about the purpose
and limits of government.
Content Vocabulary
• economics
• proletariat
• capitalism
• bourgeoisie
• free market
• communism
• laissez-faire
• command
economy
• socialism
Academic Vocabulary
• consumer
• regulation
• capacity
Reading Strategy
Create a graphic organizer like the one below to
explain the five characteristics of capitalism.
Which type of economic system do you
consider most limiting to the individual
citizen?
0%
C
A
0%
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
A. capitalism
B. socialism
C. communism
The Role of Economic Systems
• Economics is the study of how limited
resources are used to satisfy people’s
seemingly unlimited wants.
• All economic systems answer three
questions:
– What and how much should be produced?
– How should goods and services be
produced?
– Who gets the goods and services that are
produced?
The Role of Economic Systems (cont.)
• Economic systems of societies with more
political freedom generally have less
government regulation than societies with
less political freedom.
C
B
A
An economic system must answer which
question?
A. What products and
services should be
produced?
B. What products and
A. A
services are most
B. B
valuable?
0%C. 0%
C 0%
C. How much should
products and services
cost?
Capitalism
• Capitalism has five characteristics:
– Private ownership and control of property
and economic resources.
– Free enterprise
• Despite significant government
regulation, the United States’ economic
policies aim to preserve a free market.
Capitalism (cont.)
• Capitalism employs a market system based
on competition between buyers and sellers
with an emphasis on freedom of choice and
individual incentive for workers, investors,
consumers and business enterprises.
• A free market places no limits on the
freedom of buyers and sellers to make
economic decisions.
Capitalism (cont.)
• The idea of a laissez-faire economy was
advanced by Adam Smith in The Wealth of
Nations.
– Laissez-faire is French for “to let alone.”
– Smith said that the actions of buyers and
sellers, not the government, should
determine what is produced and bought.
• Mixed economies mix elements of capitalism
and socialism.
Which statement is true of a laissez-faire
economy?
0%
B
0%
0%
C
A. A
B. B
C. C
A
A. Government and markets
have equal control.
B. Government allows the
market to determine what
is produced and bought.
C. Government promotes
capitalism by eliminating
free trade.
Socialism
• Socialism is an economic system in which a
government:
– owns the basic means of production,
– determines the use of the resources,
– distributes the products and wages, and
– provides social services such as education,
health care, and welfare.
Socialism (cont.)
• Democratic Socialists are socialists who are
committed to democracy in the political
sphere but want better distribution of
economic goods.
• Under this government, citizens have basic
democratic rights like free speech and free
elections but the government owns key
industries and makes economic decisions.
Communism
• Communism is the economic system
advanced by German philosopher Karl Marx
in The Communist Manifesto.
• Marx defined three classes that emerged
during the Industrial Revolution.
– The proletariat: the industrial working
class, concentrated in factories
– The bourgeoisie: the middle class and
owners of industrial capital such as
factories and land
Communism (cont.)
– The capitalists: the ruling class with power
over resources
• Under communism, Marx predicted there
would only be one class—the working class.
• A command economy is one in which the
government decides what to produce, how
much to produce and how to distribute the
goods and services that are produced.
In a government with a socialist economic
system, the basic means of production are
owned by
A. the government.
B. the market.
C. the working class.
D. the individual.
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D