Transcript Introduction to American Government

Introduction to
American
Government
Power and
Government
Warm-up Questions
Respond to the following questions in writing in the
next 10 minutes. Then discuss them with a
neighbor.
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How would you describe who traditionally holds power throughout
history?
Why has this group been the ones to hold power for so long?
What is the source of power? In other words, where does ones
power originate?
How does one obtain power if they want it?
How do you hold/maintain power once obtained?
Lord Acton stated in 1887, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute
power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."
Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why or why not?
Make a list of all groups or individuals that hold power over you.
Make a list of all groups or individuals that you power over.
Power
"The essence of Government is power;
and power, lodged as it must be in
human hands, will ever be liable to
abuse." –James Madison
What did Mr. Madison mean?
James Madison, “Father of the Constitution”
What is Power?
• Power is the
ability to
influence the
behavior of
others to get
the outcomes
that one wants.
Sources of Power
• Coercive Power
• Reward Power
• Legitimate or
Position Power
• Expert Power
• Referent or
Personal Power
What is Government?
• The legitimate exercise of authority
in a state.
• Authority – Power that people recognize
as legitimate.
• Legitimate – Appropriate and lawful.
• State – (A country or nation)
– A body of people living in a defined
territory, organized politically, with
sovereignty.
• (the power to make and enforce law without the
consent of higher authority)
Many Government Exercise
Three Basic Kinds of Power
• Legislative Power – The power to make law
and public policies.
• Executive Power – The power to execute,
enforce and administer the law
• Judicial Power – The power to interpret the
laws, determine their meaning and settle
disputes.
Why do you think our Founding Fathers
divided this power over three branches
instead of just ONE, like under the Articles of
Confederation?
Questions
King James I
King James I - Stuart Family
• King of England from 1603–1625
• Proclaimed the Divine Right of Kings
Theory
– Kings are Chosen by God
– Born with Power
– Kings are only accountable to God, not to
any person.
– Subjects who argue with the King are
committing blasphemy against God.
• Implications?
Niccolo Machiavelli
(1469 – 1527)
The Prince
• Controversial, condemned by
the Pope.
• Focused on how Monarchies
should keep power
• The quote “The end justifies
the means” has been used to
describe his book.
• Princes should keep absolute
control by any means
possible.
Questions
Social Contract Theorists
& Enlightenment Thinkers
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Baron de Montesquieu
Social Contract Theorists
• Emerged during the
period of
Enlightenment.
• As other scientists
were questioning
What is a social
math and science,
some theorists were
contract?
questioning
An agreement among people
assumptions about
defining the rights and duties
government.
of individuals with each
other and with the
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
• Hobbes challenged
Divine Right Theory
• Did not challenge
Monarchy - Any
government is
better than no
government.
• Why? Must examine
the State of Nature:
Life without
institutions, a
primitive state
Hobbes and the State of
Nature
• Wrote the Leviathan
• Pessimistic - Man in the
state of nature is
essentially equal and at
“war”
• Without government, life
would be “solitary, poor,
nasty, brutish, and
short.”
• A constant struggle to
survive against the evil
of others
Hobbes and the Social Contract
•
•
•
•
Out of fear, people want to be ruled.
People enter into a social contract
with the government.
People give up rights and liberties in
order to control society and to
safeguard property.
Individual obedience is necessary in
order to stop the greater evil of an
endless state of war.
John Locke
• English
• 1632-1704
• An Essay
Concerning
Human
Understandin
g
• Second
Treatise
of Civil
Government
Locke and the State of Nature
•
State of perfect freedom and equality
no king has the power to void those
rights
– All human beings in their natural state
were equal and free to pursue life, health,
liberty and possessions (inalienable
rights).
•
•
•
In this state, everyone is the judge and
jury.
Creates problems – Gov’t remedies
these problems.
Governments allow man to pursue his
goals more efficiently.
Locke
and the Social Contract
• Men enter into a social contract with the
government to preserve life, liberty and
property and to assure justice.
• From this state of nature people would not
choose an absolute monarchy, they choose a
society governed by standing laws, with
power distributed among different groups.
• If the government acts improperly it breaks
the contract with the people. Revolution in
some circumstances is not only a right, it is
an obligation.
Review the Views on the
Social Contract
• Hobbes: the social contract restricts conflict
in the state of nature by surrendering power
and instituting justice.
• Locke: the social contract carries man from
the state of nature to be governed in order to
preserve liberties and property rights.
• Now…
• Rousseau: the social contract limits the
power of the state and brings citizens closer
to the state of nature.
Jean Jacques Rousseau
• Swiss - French
• 1712-1778
• On The Social Contract,
1762
Rousseau and the State of Nature
• “Man is born free, but everywhere he
is in chains.” (Thesis)
• Natural State is freedom, but people
in modern states are not free. Why?
• The only natural society is the family.
• Man in the state of nature may have
been solitary, but he was healthy,
happy, good, free and equal.
• Problems begin when people form
societies.
• Original “tribal” societies were
alright, but the introduction of
property created inequality and
jealousy.
• Cannot return to the natural state so
we form governments to restore
some of our freedoms.
•
•
•
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•
Rousseau and the Social
Contract
The sovereign exists to
safeguard the citizens, and the
social contract is an agreement
among the people.
People renounce their natural
rights
Rights are redefined and
individuals gain civil rights as
citizens of the community.
People give up their personal will
for the general will.
Government is only legitimate
through agreement and people
must periodically revisit the laws,
and renew their consent.
Ideal state is small enough to
allow the citizens to know one
another.
Baron de Montesquieu
• “On The Spirit of Laws” 1748
• Admired British system
• Separation of governmental powers
into three divisions
– the executive, who carries out (executes)
the laws
– the legislative, who makes the laws,
– and the judicial, who interprets the laws.
• Tyranny can be avoided by dividing
political power among different
groups. (Separation of Powers)
• Tyranny can be avoided by keeping
watch on the other branches of
government (checks and balances)
• These would prevent anyone from
gaining a monopoly of power.
Questions
Forms of Government
Geographic Distribution of Power
Authoritarian vs. Democratic (Who holds the
power?)
Methods of Representative Democracy
Three basic forms of government
• Unitary – a
“centralized
government”
– All powers belong to
a single central
agency
• Usually due to size of
country being small
– Ex: England, Japan,
Spain
– Unitary does not
mean “dictatorship
• Confederation
– alliance of
independent
states.
– Ex: U.S.
under the
Articles of
Confederatio
n, Civil War
South,
Switzerland,
European
Union
• Federal –
powers are
divided
between
central
government
and regional
governments.
– Ex: U.S.,
Mexico,
Canada
Who Holds the Power?
Democracy
• In a democracy, the government is elected by the
people. Everyone who is eligible to vote has a
chance to have their say over who runs the country.
It is distinct from governments controlled by a
particular social class or group (aristocracy;
oligarchy) or by a single person (despotism;
dictatorship; monarchy).
• A democracy is determined either directly or through
elected representatives.
• Examples of Representative Democracies: U.S.,
Russia, Chile, Rwanda, Indonesia
• Examples of Direct Democracies: Greece under
Pericles, New England town hall meetings,
California’s ballot proposition system.
Who Holds the Power?
Autocracy
• Government by a single person having
unlimited power; despotism
(domination through threat of
punishment and violence) .
This could be a monarchy, dictator, or a totalitarian
leader.
Who Holds the Power?
Oligarchy
• A government in which a few people
such as a dominant clan or clique have
power.
Examples of oligarchies are: South Africa
before apartheid, Athens under aristocratic rule,
ancient Sparta, most tribal governments.
Who Holds the Power?
Monarchy
• A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress.
• The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s
heirs.
• In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has
absolute power.
• But a constitutional monarchy, like the UK, also has a
democratic government that limits the monarch's
control.
• Constitutional Monarchy examples: Morocco, Laos,
Bahrain, Jordon, Japan, United Kingdom
• Absolute Monarchy examples: Oman, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, Vatican City
Who Holds the Power?
Dictatorship
• A country ruled by a
single leader. The leader
has not been elected
and may use force to
keep control.
• In a military
dictatorship, the army is
in control.
• Examples: Fidel Castro,
Saddam Hussein,
Myanmar
Who Holds the Power?
Anarchy
• Anarchy is a situation where there is
no government. This can happen
after a civil war in a country, when a
government has been destroyed and
rival groups are fighting to take its
place.
• Anarchists are people who believe
that government is a bad thing in that
it stops people organizing their own
Who Holds the Power?
Republic
• A republic is a country that has no
monarch.
• The head of the country is usually an
elected president.
Who Holds the Power?
Totalitarian
• This is a country
with only one
political party.
• People are forced to
do what the
government tells
them and may also
be prevented from
leaving the country.
• Examples: Hitler,
Stalin, Mussolini,
Different methods of Representative
Democracy
• Presidential Gov’t
– Leg Branch - Voters
elect
– Exec Branch – voters
elect
– Jud Branch appointed.
• Parliamentary Gov’t
– Leg Branch (aka
parliament) - Voters
elect
– Exec Branch - chosen
by the legislature, often
a member of the
legislature
Questions