Transcript CHAPTER 1
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
1. Family
INSTITUTIONS
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.
STATE
• 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.
NATION
• Group of people united by the bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes religion.
4 Characteristics of a State
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
4 Characteristics of a State
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 Characteristics of a State
4. Government • The institutions through which the public policies of a state are made and enforced and its affairs are conducted.
4 Theories of the Origin of the State
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
4 Theories of the Origin of the State
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 Theories of the Origin of the State
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.
5 PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT
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.
5 PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT
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.
5 PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT
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 19 th 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 PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT
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 Distribution A. 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 Distribution
B. 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 Branches B. 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 Members
A. 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.
III. Participating Members A. Autocracy 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
III. Participating Members
A. Autocracy 1. Dictatorship a. 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,
III. Participating Members A. Autocracy 1. Dictatorship a. Authoritarian b. 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)
III. Participating Members
A. Autocracy 1. Dictatorship 2. Monarchy • When a king, queen, or emperor exercises the supreme powers of the governments and they usually inherit their position.
III. Participating Members
A. Autocracy 1. Dictatorship 2. Monarchy a. Absolute Monarchy • Form of monarchy where the ruler has complete and unlimited power to rule.
Brunei, Saudi Arabia
III. Participating Members A. Autocracy 1. Dictatorship 2. Monarchy a. 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 Members
B. 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.
III. Participating Members
B. Oligarchy 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 means “most virtuous, noblest, or finest.”
aristos
which
III. Participating Members B. Oligarchy 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
III. Participating Members B. Oligarchy 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 Members C. 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
means “rule.” which
III. Participating Members
C. Democracy 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.
III. Participating Members C. Democracy 1. Direct (Pure) Democracy 2. 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
• • • • •
REPUBLIC
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
7 DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
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.
7 DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
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.
7 DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
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.
7 DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
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 DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
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.
ANARCHY
• The total absence of government.
CAPITALISM
• Economic system in which the means of production are privately owned.
5 MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF 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
Laissez-Faire Theory
• 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.
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
Mixed Economy
• 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.
Socialism
• 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.
3 MAIN GOALS OF 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.
DEMOCRATIC 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
COMMUNISM (Scientific 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
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
"Tuvalu Map and Information". WorldAtlas.com. May 25, 2010
"Vatican City and Information". WorldAtlas.com. May 26, 2010