GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE

Political TermsState: independent unit that occupies

a specific territory and has full control of its internal/external affairs.

Nation: group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity.

Nation-state: nation and a state occupy the same territory.

Types of Governments

Democracy•Citizens hold political power, either directly or through elected representatives.

•United States

Monarchy• Ruling family

headed by a king or queen holds political power, and may or may not share with citizen bodies.

• United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia.

Dictatorship

•Individual or group holds complete political power.

•North Korea

Communism• Government and economic system, nearly all political power and means of production are

held by the government in the

name of all people.

• Old Soviet Union, China.

Question?

What are some issues each government might face?

Geographic Distribution of Power• Unitary Government

• All powers of the Government belong to a single, central agency.

• The Central Government creates local units of government for its own convenience.

• Local governments have only those powers that the central government chooses to give them.

• Example: Great Britain

• Federal Government• The powers are divided between a central government and several local governments.

• Both levels of government act directly on the people through their own sets of laws, officials, and agencies.

Geographic Distribution of Power• Confederate Government• This is an alliance of independent states.

• This structure makes it possible for several states to cooperate in matters of common concern and also retain their separate identities.

• Presidential Government• Executive and legislative branches of the government are separate, independent of one another, and coequal.

Geographic Distribution of Power• Parliamentary Government

• The Executive is made up of the prime minister and that official’s cabinet.

• The Prime Minister and cabinet themselves are members of the legislative branch, the parliament.

• The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party or of a likeminded group of parties in parliament and is chosen by that body.

Basic Concepts of Democracy•Foundations

• Worth of the Individual• Equality of All Persons• Majority Rule, Minority Rights• Necessity of Compromise• Individual Freedom• How the System Works• Government and the Free Enterprise System