Formation of Government Throughout History Political Science I

Formation of Government Throughout History

Political Science I

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What are the major types of governmental systems around the world?


Democracy

• A political system in which all citizens determine public policy and have equal rights to express their opinions

• Modern democracy dates back to the late 18th century

• The evolution to modern democracy began with the rise of individualism, capitalism, Protestantism, the scientific revolution, and the exploration of the New World


Democracy (continued)

• The political theorists of this time believed that if people were freed of feudalism and a social hierarchy, they would be more creative and productive in society

• When the Industrial Revolution occurred in the US, like in many other developed countries, it ushered in a new relationship between government and economy, which is still relevant today


Democracy (continued)

• Laissez-Faire Theory in democracy means that the government will stay out of all economic life

• In a democracy, there is a capitalist type of economy, which means that all means of production are privately owned and prices, wages, and profits are determined by private industry


Theocracy

• A political system in which the officials are considered to be divinely guided, or directed by God

• Government officials are also considered members of the clergy

• Most governments throughout history have had characteristics of theocracy

• The only three theocratic forms of governments in the world are Iran, Saudi Arabia, and The Vatican

• No separation between church and state


Republic

• A political system in which the supreme power is vested with the people, but their vote rests with the representatives who are directly or indirectly elected

• Leaders are elected based on standards set forth by a constitution

• Also known as Representative Democracy• This form of government made the Founding

Fathers more comfortable when they were writing the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution


Republic (continued)

• For example, in the US, we vote for people to represent us on the federal level

• These representatives are also responsible for electing the president and vice president of the US; the representatives create what is called the electoral college


Monarchy

• A political system in which all of the nation’s power is held by one person

• A monarchy can be organized in several different ways• Absolute Monarchy • Constitutional Monarchy (i.e. Great Britain)


Dictatorship

• A political system in which one person or a small group has absolute power without constitutional limitations

• The government typically has complete control over mass communications and the social and economic organizations

• Typically the dictator also believes in a certain ideology and how society should be organized

• There have been several dictators throughout history (i.e. Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong)


Communism

• A political system in which the government controls all means of production

• Began as a social movement which was created to make society a classless, stateless, and moneyless state

• The most notable founder of the communist form of government is Karl Marx

• The Soviet Union was considered to be a communist state until it was eventually dissolved in 1991


Socialism

• A political system in which the means of production and distribution lie with the community as a whole

• Similar to communism in the sense that social problems occur when citizens are allowed private ownership of land and business within the economy

• Mainly refers to the organization of a country’s economy• Unequal social status fails to give everyone an equal

opportunity to maximize his or her potential• For example, in the US, the Affordable Care Act, which is

often referred to as “Obamacare” is considered by some to be a socialist form of healthcare


What countries around the world have these different types of governmental systems?


Asia: North Korea (The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)• A dictatorship• The dictator Kim-Jong-Un• Shares borders with China and Russia• Shares the territory known as the Korean

Peninsula with the democratic country of South Korea

• One of the most restricted economies in the world, which is controlled entirely by the central government


Asia: China (The People’s Republic of China)• A communist• China has been transitioning from a restricted and

centrally planned economy to more of a market economy since 1979

• One of the largest countries in Asia (landwise); also has the largest population in the world

• Shares borders with two other communist/dictatorial countries: North Korea and Vietnam• China also shares borders with two other major world

countries: India and Russia


Asia: India

• A federal republic, like the US• Government is based on a constitution • Considered to be the world’s largest democracy

• The second largest population in the world• Shares a border with the Muslim country of

Pakistan• Since India is a predominately Hindu country, the

shared border with Pakistan often causes conflict between the two countries

• Surrounded on two sides by the Indian Ocean


Europe

• United Kingdom• Consists of several different countries which include Great Britain,

Ireland, Scotland, and Wales• A constitutional monarchy• An island located in the northern Atlantic Ocean, just northwest of

France• Controls several territories around the world, most of which are

located in the Caribbean (i.e. the British Virgin Islands)

• Most countries on the European continent are republics or democracies; however, some countries have are monarchies, including Sweden, Spain, and Norway


North America: The US

• A republic, like its southern neighbor Mexico• The president of the US is Barack Obama and the

president of Mexico is Enrique Pena (2012)• The terms “republic” and “democracy” are used

interchangeably when identifying the form of government in the US

• Has a neighbor to the north, Canada • A constitutional monarchy• Considered an ally to the US


North America: The US (continued)

• More specifically, a representative democracy• The US Constitution states that citizens elect

representatives to represent them on the federal level• The House of Representatives and the Senate create the

Electoral College• According to the US Constitution, the Electoral College

is responsible for electing the President and Vice President

• Considered one of the world’s “super-powers” and continues to advocate against the concepts of dictatorships and communism


Latin America

• Countries in the region of the Americas where Spanish or Portuguese is primarily spoken• Ranges from Mexico and the Caribbean all the

way south through the entire continent of South America

• Is home to some of the world’s most well-known communist countries


Latin America: Cuba

• An island country located in the Caribbean that is only about 100 miles south from the southernmost tip of the US: Key West, Florida

• Became a communist state in the 1950s after the Cuban Revolution that was led by Fidel Castro

• Although it is an isolated island country, it has foreign relationships with other communist countries all over the world


Latin America: Venezuela

• Considered to have a Republican form of government, but has many of the tendencies of a communist state

• One of the northernmost countries in South America bordering the Caribbean Sea

• Hugo Chavez was president and leader of the United Socialist Party starting in 1999

• Has become increasingly communist because of the government’s control over the economy, more specifically the country’s oil production


What major historical events had an effect on these different types of governmental systems?


The Cold War

• Began shortly after the end of World War II and lasted from 1947–1991

• A war between the world’s two superpowers of that time period, which were divided by major political and economic differences• The US

• Was aligned with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Western European countries

• Believed with its allies• In a capitalist form of economy• That communism should be contained from spreading throughout the world

• The USSR• Believed in a communist form of government• Consisted of modern day Russia and Eastern Europe


The Cold War: The Korean War• Because of Korea’s proximity to the USSR, communist ideals

spread to the Korean peninsula• In 1950 the conflict began between the occupying forces on the

Korean peninsula• After three years of fighting between the Soviet and US forces,

they agreed that the 38th parallel would be the distinguishing line between the newly created countries of North and South Korea

• South Korea adopted a democratic form of government and a capitalist economy which was a result of the US/NATO assistance in the southern part of Korea during the Korean War

• North Korea adopted a communist form of government and economy


The Cold War: The Vietnam War

• Lasted from 1955–1975• Was fought between the communist forces of North

Vietnam and anti-communist forces in South Vietnam• After thousands of US deaths, under the order of President

Richard Nixon, the US withdrew its troops from Vietnam• In 1975, the communist forces of North Vietnam finally

seized control of the city of Saigon, which ended the Vietnam War

• North Vietnam forced the unification of South Vietnam which created the country now known as Vietnam• Vietnam’s official title is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam• Today, Vietnam is a communist country


The Cold War: The Cuban Missile Crisis• The closest the two superpowers came to having a nuclear

conflict during the Cold War• A 13-day conflict between the communist countries of

Cuba and the Soviet Union and the US• Occurred in October, 1962

• Began when Cuban officials caught the US spying on the Cuban military• The US was going to use this information to attempt to overthrow

the Cuban government and its leader Fidel Castro• The intelligence operation was known as the Bay of Pigs• The failed operation served as a major embarrassment for the US

government


The Cold War: The Cuban Missile Crisis (continued)

• Continued after the US was exposed for the failed Bay of Pigs operation and the Soviet Union shipped nuclear missile towards Cuba

• Ended when the US, instead of declaring war, successfully formed a blockade in the Atlantic Ocean so that Soviet nuclear weapons could not reach Cuba

• Cuba and the Soviet Union remained communist nations, while the US continued their efforts to contain communism around the world


The Iraq War

• The US invaded Iraq in March, 2003, shortly after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 • The US and Great Britain believed that Iraq possessed weapons of

mass destruction (WMD’s)

• The leader of Iraq was the dictator Saddam Hussein • Saddam Hussein was the leading member of the Arab Socialist

Ba’ath Party• In 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by US forces and was

returned to Iraqi officials in 2004• In 2005, Iraq ratified a constitution and transitioned from a

dictatorship to a democracy• In 2006, Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against

humanity and was sentenced to death in Iraq


Why are certain governmental systems obsolete today?


Reasons for Obsoletion

• Governments in which there is total control by one individual have typically been the result of a coup or a swift overthrow of the country’s government

• International conflict often arises over the conflicting ideologies of these government systems

• Other reasons for internal conflict can include human rights violations, ethnic cleansing, religious freedoms and the rights of women (feminism)


What type of careers are available in these different types of governments?


Careers in Various Types of Government

• International Organizations (i.e. The United Nations)

• Multinational Corporations• Nongovernmental Organizations • The Peace Corps• Green Peace

• Diplomats (i.e. Ambassador)


Resources• Bertram, Christopher, "Jean Jacques Rousseau", The Stanford

Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/rousseau/

• Bose, Meena, John Dilulio, and James Wilson. American Government: Institutions and Policies. 13th. Boston: Wadsworth Cenage Learning, 2013. Ch. 4. Print

• Edwards, George, Robert Lineberry, and Martin Wattenberg. Government in American: People, Politics and Policy. 15th. New York City: Pearson Education, 2011. Ch. 1, Ch. 11. Print

• Harrison, Brigid, and Jean Harris. American Democracy Now. 2nd. New York City: McGraw Hill, 2011. Ch. 1, Ch. 9. Print

• Hauss, Charles, and Melissa Haussman. Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges. 8th. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cenage Learning, Ch 4. Print


Resources (continued)

• O'Conner, Karen, Larry Sabato, and Alixandra Yanus. American Government: Roots and Reform. 11th. New York City: Pearson Education, 2011. Ch. 1. Print

• Patterson, Thomas. The American Democracy. 9th. New York City: McGraw Hill , 2009. Ch 1. Print

• Soucy, R. (2013). Fascism. In Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica.

• Wolff, Jonathan, "Karl Marx", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/marx/

• Do an Internet search for the following:• NY Times President Obama Benghazi attack

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Formation of Government Throughout History Political Science I