Transcript Introduction to Civics

Introduction to
Civics
CITIZENSHIP AND THE ORIGINS OF GOVERNMENT
Key Terms you need to know

Citizenship: Membership in a political community, such as a
country, including rights, duties and responsibilities.

Government: A system by which a group of people makes laws
that are enforced to guide the affairs of the community, such as
a country, province or municipality.

Society: A group of interacting people who share a community

Authoritarian: A form of decision making or a government
system in which one person, or a small group holds all power
(e.g. a dictatorship).

Democratic: A form of decision making in which all group
members have a vote.

Consensus: A group decision reached through discussion to
which all group members agree.
Key Terms you need to Know

Politics: A human activity in which opposing individuals or
groups mobilize support to obtain power to govern.

Power: The ability of an individual or group to get what it
wants. (The ability of A to get B to do C)

Common Good: That which benefits all (or most) people in a
community or society.

Rule of Law: The fundamental constitutional principle that no
government or person is above the law and that society is
governed by laws that apply fairly to all; sometimes referred
to as “law and order”

Direct Democracy: A government in which all citizens directly
participate in decision making without representatives
(Ancient Greece)

Representative Democracy: A democracy in which citizens
periodically elect others to represent them in government.
The Beginnings of Democracy

5th Century BC (495-429 BC).

The “polis” (city) of Athens was
the most famous of the city
states. It was here that the
idea of democracy first took
shape; that is, that citizens of
the city could have a direct say
in the affairs of the state. This
democracy was direct
democracy since people could
make political decisions
themselves without
representation.

However, only free born males
over a certain age could vote.
Women and slaves were
excluded from political
participation (politics).
The Beginnings of Democracy

However, as Athens grew in size, the
idea of direct democracy became
impossible to maintain (too many
decision makers).

As a result, their system was
eventually changed to a
representative democracy whereby
citizens would elect other citizens to
represent them. The role of these
representatives (politicians) was to
give a voice to the concerns of their
communities.
Representative Democracy

In our current democratic
system, we use political
leaders to represent our
concerns within Canada’s
Political institutions.

However, if we cannot
exercise direct democracy
except at the ballot box, is it
still democracy? What if they
make decisions without our
consent? What if they satisfy
the majority of Canadians (to
win elections), but ignore
minority voices?
Thomas Hobbes

Political Philosopher Thomas Hobbes
(1588-1679) wrote a political treatise
called Leviathan.

He believed that human beings are
naturally selfish and will stop at nothing
to satisfy their material desires (felicity).
Without government, Hobbes believed
that there would be a state of Anarchy
whereby man would turn against man.
For Hobbes, life without government
would be “nasty, brutish and short”
Leviathan
We need a powerful government to rule over the people. Government
is needed in order to save us from ourselves. Do you agree?
Hurricane Katrina
During the flooding of New Orleans, the U.S. Army was sent in to restore
order. However, in many areas there was an absence of authority.
Government simply did not exist. What happened?
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
The response to Looting. Is this necessary?
Jean Jacques Rousseau

French Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau
(1712-1778) disagreed with Hobbes and
thought that societies were free and friendly
before governments were formed. In his
famous political work The Social Contract he
states that “Man is born free, but everywhere
he is in chains”.

He believed that humans have a general idea
of what is the “Common good”. That is, they
know what is morally right and wrong. All we
need is a “Social Contract” which represents
the general will of the people. Our common
sense will save us from ourselves; not an all
powerful government. Do you agree with
Rousseau?
Why do Students Obey?
Why do People Obey?
Why are they waiting in line? Did someone teach them?
The Magna Carta

The Magna Carta was signed in 1215 by
King John.

With the Magna Carta, governments and
people must follow the law; even the
King!
The French Revolution
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King Louis was an Absolute Monarch. He was
referred to as the “Sun King” and above the
rule of law.

He was later replaced by Louis 16th. The
French people eventually revolted against his
absolute power. The result? The French
Revolution
Louis the 14th
The French Revolution (1789)
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
The Execution of King Louis the16th
Questions for Discussion

How do Hobbes and Rousseau’s views on
human nature differ?

Do you agree with Hobbes or Rousseau?
Citizenship

“Civics” is defined as the
rights and responsibilities
of citizenship.

As a Canadian Citizen, you
are bound to follow the
laws of Canada. You are
also entitled to certain
rights and freedoms.

In other words, you have
Rights, but you also have
responsibilities. There is a
balance!
The Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms
How are decisions made?

There are various ways in which decisions
can be made. We will be discussing three:

Authoritarian

Democratic

Consensus
Authoritarian

With an Authoritarian decision
making system, one person makes all
the decisions.

Other members of the group follow
orders and have no direct
involvement in how decisions are
made. Coaches of sports teams
sometimes make decisions this way.
Why? Is there an advantage to this
system? Disadvantages?
Democratic Decision Making

In a democratic decision
making system, decisions
are made by a system of
voting. All individuals get to
vote on the outcome.

However, not all participants
will necessarily be happy
with the outcome!
Advantages to this system?
Disadvantages?
Democratic Decision Making
Consensus

With the consensus system
of decision making, all group
members must agree in
order for a decision to be
made. What are the
advantages and
disadvantages of this system
of decision making?
What is Politics?

Are we always going to
be happy with the
decisions that are
made? If not, how will
we react? The way we
react is called politics.

In essence, politics is
an activity whereby an
individual or group
seeks power by
mobilizing support for
their particular point of
view. Politics is the
ability to get what you
want by obtaining
power. What is Power?
The Essence of Politics?
What is Power?

Power is the
ability of a
person, group,
or nation to get
what it wants.

In the case of
governments,
they can use
soft power (e.g.
persuasion), or
hard power (e.g.
military force)
Types of Government

As discussed earlier, there
are various ways of making
decisions.

These ways are reflected in
the various types of
Government:

Dictatorship (e.g. Fascism)

Democracy (e.g. Canada’s
Political Parties

Communism (one party rule)
Dictatorship


Authoritarian governments are
usually dominated by a single
individual; that is, a dictator.
Authoritarian dictators (e.g.
Hitler, Mussolini) do not tolerate
any form of opposition. They will
usually use the military to
maintain their grip on power. In
other words, they do not need
the support of the majority
through elections to maintain
power. They rule through force.
Democracy

Democratic governments make
decisions based on the will of
the people. They are elected.
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They tolerate opposition to their
rule whether by individuals, the
media, or other political parties.
Democratic governments
maintain power through the
support of the people; not
military force.
Characteristics of Democratic
Governments

Two or more political parties
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Free Media

Free Press
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Free, Fair and Frequent
Elections
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Equal legal rights
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Courts free of Political Control
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Minorities respected
Questions for Discussion

Is there such a thing as too much
freedom?

Where do you draw the line?
Characteristics of Authoritarian
Governments
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Only one political party

Government controlled press

Censored Media

Fake elections or no elections

Unequal legal rights

Courts under political control

Minorities are often under
attack
Types of Government

It is a generalization to
suggest that all
authoritarian
governments do not
address the needs of
the people.

Under a Communist
mode of production,
the unelected state
government provides
subsidized health care,
education and housing
to the population.
Communist leaders
often criticized the
United States for not
providing the necessary
essentials to their
population.
Closing Comments
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What have we learned?
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Key terms used in Civics
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The origins of government

Political Philosophy (Plato, Hobbes, Rousseau)
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Methods of decision making
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The meaning of politics and power
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Different types of Government