CHAPTER 1 Government. Comprises the set of legal and political institutions that regulate the relationships among members of a society and between the

CHAPTER 1

Government

Government• Comprises the set of legal and political

institutions that regulate the relationships among members of a society and between the society and outsiders.

• These institutions have the authority to make decisions for the society on policies affecting the maintenance of order and the achievement of certain societal goals.

• In other words, government is the institution by which the state carries out its policies.

5 BASIC SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

1. Family

2. Economics

3. Education

4. Religion

5. Government—is one of the oldest and came about when people and society knew they had to have it in order to survive.

• Group of people living in a defined territory, politically organized, with the power to make and enforce laws without the approval of a higher authority.

• States vary greatly in size, population, military power, economic importance, natural resources, and in numerous other ways.

STATE

• Group of people united by the bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes religion.

NATION

1. Population• Grouping of

individuals subject to the processes of birth, death, and migration. Smallest—Tuvalu,

population 12,373 Smallest—Vatican

City, population 826 Largest—People’s

Republic of China, population 1,338,612,968

4 Characteristics of a State

2. Territory• Established boundaries of a state.• The exact location or shapes of political

boundaries are often a source of conflict among states.

• Territorial boundaries may change as a result of war, negotiation, or purchase. Smallest—Monaco, 1.95 square kilometers, 0.75 square

miles Smallest—Vatican City, 0.44 square kilometers, 0.17

square miles, 109 acres Largest—Russia, 6,592,769 square kilometers,

17,075,200 square miles


3. Sovereignty• Having supreme and absolute power

within its own area.• Decides its won policies and courses

of action, both foreign and domestic.• Does not have a higher authority in

which to answer and is free from outside interference.

• This is the key characteristic of a state.


4. Government• The institutions

through which the public policies of a state are made and enforced and its affairs are conducted.


1. Force Theory• Perhaps a person or small group

claimed control over an area and forced or overpowered all of the people within it to submit to his/their rule. Possible examples: Nazi Germany

in World War II, Roman Empire

4 Theories of the Origin of the State

2. Evolutionary Theory• Perhaps the state developed out of

the early family (family-klan-tribe).• When the tribe began to use

settled agriculture and was no longer nomadic the state was created. Possible example: Abraham’s

descendents in the Old Testament


3. Divine Right Theory• Perhaps God gave those of “royal

birth” the right to rule.• Rulers would inherit their power from

God and once blessed with this power, the royal family and its heirs would become God’s representation on Earth. Possible examples: Chinese and

Egyptian civilizations, Japanese emperor Mikado governed until end of World War II.


4. Social Contract Theory• Humans developed government and named

rulers to establish order in the chaotic natural world in which they lived.

• Man agreed to give up to the state as much power as was needed to promote the safety and well-being of all. The contract is the constitution.

• Developed by philosophers such as: John Locke, James Harrington, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jacques Rousseau.


1. Protection• Throughout history, leaders have

organized warriors to defend the community, from prehistoric tribes to modern armies.

• The U.S. for example, has a military force of more than 1.5 million troops, as well as a powerful nuclear arsenal.

5 PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT

2. Maintenance of Social Order• Governments have taken

responsibility for protecting citizens from violence against one another.

• Modern governments pass hundreds of laws and maintain large police forces and court systems to protect the public, ensure the orderly daily existence, and promote a sense of justice.


3. Resolution of Social Conflicts• In human societies conflicts between groups

are unavoidable. Central to many of these disagreements is the idea that some groups are unjustly treated.

• Traditionally, governments have sometimes suppressed conflicts by the use of force, but if their authority is respected, people have tended to accept their decisions peaceably, whether by a king’s decree or a democratic election.


4. Responsibility for a Stable Economy• The role of government in creating and

maintaining a healthy economy has varied widely throughout history.

• In the late 19th century the U.S. government was expected to leave the economy alone (laissez-faire). In contrast, some modern governments actually own the major industries, and others regulate business practices of private citizens and monitor the currency or money.


5. Provision of Public Service• Many modern governments provide a

transportation and communications network for public use, and most take some measures to protect public health and safety.

• More controversial is the extent of government responsibility for individual welfare (poor, unemployed, aged, disabled). Some countries have extensive welfare benefits; others do not.


I. Geographic DistributionA. Unitary Government

• Type of government in which all of the government’s power belongs to a central agency or unit.

• Local governments exist only for the convenience of the central government.

• Most governments are unitary and this is the most common way to govern.

Great Britain, France, Japan, Denmark, China, Italy

I. Geographic DistributionB. Federal Government

• Type of government in which power is divided between a central government and several formally independent regional (state & local) governments.

• Each level of government has sovereignty in some areas.

United States, Mexico, Australia, India, Germany, Brazil

II. Executive & Legislative Branches

A. Presidential Government• Type of government where a

separation of power exists between the executive and the legislative branches of government.

• The two function independently of each other, but they are also co-equal.

United States, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

II. Executive & Legislative BranchesB. Parliamentary Government

• Type of government where the executive (Prime Minister, Premier, Chancellor) is chosen by the legislature, and as a result is subject to its direct control.

• The executive does not serve a fixed term.

• Most countries in the world practice a parliamentary government.

Great Britain, Japan, Czech Republic, Israel, New Zealand

Aristotle

III. Participating MembersA. Autocracy

• Defined by Aristotle as “rule by one.”

• Any system of government in which the power and authority to rule are in the control of a single individual.


1. Dictatorship• Form of government in which authority

is centered in a single person whose power is not circumscribed by law nor by the acts of other official bodies.

• It is the oldest and most common form of government.

• It’s main characteristic is that it is not responsible to the people and cannot be limited by them.

• Elections are controlled and voters are offered only one candidate.

Dictare• Latin word in which dictator is

derived.

• It means “issue orders or authoritative commands.”

• Title was given to the ancient Roman republic’s leader who was given great power in times of crisis.

• Julius Caesar was the first dictator in 49 B.C. Julius Caesar


1. Dictatorshipa. Authoritarian

• Form of dictatorship in which individual liberty is completely subordinate to the authority of the state, which is controlled by a dictator.

Libya, Syria, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan,


1. Dictatorshipa. Authoritarianb. Totalitarian

• Form of dictatorship in which all societal resources are monopolized by the state in an effort to penetrate and control all aspects of public and private life.

Germany (1933-1945), Italy (1922-1943), Soviet Union (1924-1953)


1. Dictatorship

2. Monarchy• When a king, queen, or emperor

exercises the supreme powers of the governments and they usually inherit their position.


1. Dictatorship

2. Monarchya. Absolute Monarchy

• Form of monarchy where the ruler has complete and unlimited power to rule.

Brunei, Saudi Arabia


1. Dictatorship

2. Monarchya. Absolute Monarchy

b. Constitutional Monarchy

• Form of monarchy where the ruler shares governmental powers with an elected legislature.

Great Britain, Japan, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Jordan

III. Participating MembersB. Oligarchy

• Defined by Aristotle as “rule by few.”

• Any system of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite.


1. Aristocracy• Type of oligarchy where people

are ruled by the finest.• In some aristocracies the ruling

group has been determined by social position or wealth.

• Comes from Greek aristos which means “most virtuous, noblest, or finest.”


2. Theocracy• Type of oligarchy where the power to

rule lies in the hands of a religious group.

• Today theocracies rarely exist in pure form, although in some countries religious groups still have a powerful influence on government.

• Comes from the Greek theos which means “god.”

Vatican City, Afghanistan under the Taliban


3. Political Party• The modern version of oligarchy.• Type of oligarchy where the

government is controlled by a political party.

• Type of oligarchy in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single party holds power.

China, Cuba, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam

III. Participating MembersC. Democracy

• Defined by Aristotle as “rule by many.”

• It is a form of government in which a substantial proportion of the citizenry participates in ruling the state.

• Supreme political authority rests with the people.

• Comes from the Greek demos which means “the people” and kratia which means “rule.”


1. Direct (Pure) Democracy• Form of democracy in which the

people participate directly in decision making through the voting process.

• Citizens vote on laws in an assembly, as they did in ancient Greek city-states and in New England town meetings.


1. Direct (Pure) Democracy2. Representative (Indirect)

Democracy• Form of democracy where citizens

elect officials to represent them in government; people’s wishes are expressed through small groups of individuals chosen by the people to act as their representatives.

United States, Australia, Israel, Great Britain, France, Tuvalu, New Zealand

• Form of government in which sovereignty rests in those people entitled to elect, either directly or indirectly, representatives who hold office for limited periods of time.

• In a republic, the head of state is a non-hereditary officer most often called the president.

• The president may also be the actual chief executive, or such power may reside with a prime minister or premier.

• A republic may or may not be a democracy, depending on voting qualifications, the degree of suffrage, and the presence of real electoral alternatives.

• Some political systems are democratic but are not republics because they have a hereditary head of state, as, for example, Great Britain.

United States, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Mexico, Italy, South Africa

REPUBLIC

1. Sanctity of the Individual• Each individual is looked at as a

distinct being.2. Equality of Opportunity and

Equality Before the Law• No person should be

discriminated against for arbitrary reasons.

• All persons are treated equally under the law.

7 DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES

3. Majority Rule Restrained by Minority Rights

• The majority must always recognize the right of any minority to become the majority if it can be obtained by fair and legal means.

• The majority must always be willing to listen to a minority’s argument.


4. Compromise• The resolutions of conflict in

which concessions are made by all parties to achieve a common goal.

• Democracy, in most cases, must be a matter of give-and-take.


5. Individual Liberty• The individual should be free to

do as he pleases as the freedom of all allows.

• This does not mean absolute freedom. There must be a balance between liberty and authority.


Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Associate Justice U.S. Supreme Court

(1902-1932)

“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

6. Free Elections• They give people the chance to

choose leaders who share their beliefs and views and allow for expression of those views.

• It also ensures that public officials pay attention to the wishes of the people.

• All genuine democracies have free and open elections.


7. Competing Political Parties• They make elections more

meaningful by giving voter’s a choice among candidates.

• They also help to simplify and focus attention on key issues.


• The total absence of government.

ANARCHY

• Economic system in which the means of production are privately owned.

CAPITALISM

1. Private ownership and control of property and economic resources

2. Free enterprise

3. Competition among businesses

4. Freedom of choice

5. Possibility of profits

5 MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF CAPITALISM

• French means “leave alone.”• Doctrine that the best economic

policy is to let businesses make their own decisions without government interference.

• It is a “hands off” policy where the government plays a limited role.

Laissez-Faire Theory

Thomas Jefferson• “…that

government is best which governs least.”

Thomas Jefferson

Adam Smith• Often called the “Father of

Modern Economics.”• He was a wide-ranging

social philosopher and economist whose masterwork, An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) is one of the most influential studies of Western civilization.

Adam Smith

• Economic system in which both private enterprise and government regulation play important roles.

• In the United States, private enterprise is combined with government regulation that is intended to protect public interest and preserve private enterprise.

Mixed Economy

• Economic system in which the government owns the basic means production, determines the use of resources, distributes the products and wages, and provides social services.

Socialism

1. The distribution of wealth and economic opportunity equally among people.

2. Society’s control, through its government, of all major decisions about production.

3. Public ownership of most land, of factories, and of other means of production.

3 MAIN GOALS OF SOCIALISM

• Type of socialism in which people have control over government through free elections and multiparty systems, but the government own the basic means of production and make most economic decisions.

Denmark, Norway, Tanzania, Sweden

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM

• Economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions.

• It is a system based on collective ownership and control of property and the means of production, with all individuals expected to contribute to society according to ability and receive from it according to need.

• Preaches concept of “class struggle,”– Bourgeoisie vs. Proletariat

COMMUNISM (Scientific Socialism)

Bourgeoisie• Upper class

• Owners of the means of production

Proletariat• Workers

• Those who produce goods

Karl Marx(1818-1883)

• Developed Communism in his pamphlet The Communist Manifesto (1848) and later in his book Das Kapital (1867).

• German philosopher and thinker who advocated a violent revolution of the Proletariat over the Bourgeoisie.

Karl Marx

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Citations

Documents

CHAPTER 1 Government. Comprises the set of legal and political institutions that regulate the relationships among members of a society and between the