Transcript The Political State

Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
The Political State
The Basis of Government
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
A State
 State:
 Identifies a political community that occupies a
definite territory & has an organized government
with the power to make and enforce laws without
approval from any higher authority
 According to this is Nevada a state?
 The City of Reno?
 Reno High School?
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
A Nation
 A Nation:
 Any sizeable group of people who are united by a
common bond of race, language, customs,
traditions, and sometimes religion
 According to this is Nevada a nation?
 The City of Reno?
 Reno High School?
 Mr. Clark’s classroom?
 Nation-State
 Both a state and a nation
 Obviously
 The United States is a nation-state
 The Vatican in Rome
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
4 Major Features of a
State
 1. Population
 Must have people in order to have a state
 The direction, stability, political organization
and social consensus of a population are
important qualities for survival of a state
 A growing population as well as a population
that is mobile will contribute to the success of
a population
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
Territory
 2. Territory:
 A state has an established boundary
 How are boundaries established?
 In what ways can boundaries get bigger?
 Purchase
 Negotiation
 War
 Volcano!?!?!?!
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
Sovereignty
 3. Sovereignty:
 The state has supreme and absolute authority
within its territorial boundaries
 Complete independence, complete power to
make laws, to shape foreign policy, and to
determine its own course of action
 In theory a state has no right to interfere with the
international affairs of another sovereign state
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
And finally, Government
 4. Government:
 Is the institution through which the state
maintains social order, provides public
service, and enforce decisions that are
binding on all people living in the state.
 Most larger governments have several levels
of government
 State, County, City, Town, Village, etc
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
US Government
Non-State International Groups
 Groups that do not fall under one of the 4 features of a
state
 1. Political Movements
 Palestinian Liberation Organization
 Hezbollah
 2. Multinational Corporations
 Wal-Mart (The Death of America)
 Nike
 3. International Organizations
 United Nations
 Amnesty International
Unit 1:What are the foundations of
 Little League
US Government