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Section 1

What Is the State?

• A state is a political community in a precise territory.

• A state has sovereignty meaning that its government makes and enforces its own laws without approval from any other authority.

• A nation refers to a sizable group of people united by common race, language, custom or religion.

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• Countries in which the territories of both the state and nation coincide are referred to as nation-states.

What Is the State? (cont.)

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Essential Features of a State

• The four essential features of a state include:

– population—the people

– territory—established boundaries

– sovereignty—supreme and absolute authority within its boundaries

– government—central institution

United States Acquisitions

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• States where people share a consensus, or agreement, about basic beliefs and values have the most stable governments.

• Government is the institution through which a state:

– maintains social order;

– provides public services; and

– enforces decisions that are binding on all its residents.

Essential Features of a State (cont.)

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Origins of the State

• Scholars have constructed theories to explain the origins of state.

• Evolutionary Theory

– The state evolved from the family.

– The head of the primitive family served as government authority.

• Force Theory

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– The state was born of force, or the need to resist an enemy.

– A state emerged when everyone in an area was brought under the authority of one person or group.

• Divine Right Theory

– Certain people are chosen by a god or gods to rule.

Origins of the State (cont.)

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– Divine right describes European monarchs in the 1600s and 1700s who proclaimed their right to rule came from God alone.

• Social Contract Theory

– Thomas Hobbes promoted the idea of a social contract in which people surrendered their freedom to the state, but in return they received order and security.

Origins of the State (cont.)

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– John Locke believed that in a state of nature, men and women had certain natural rights including the rights to:

• life,

• liberty, and

• property.

– Locke’s social contract was made between the people and a government that promised to preserve these natural rights.

Origins of the State (cont.)

Section 1

Purposes of Government

• There are four primary purposes of government.

– Maintaining social order: Governments resolve conflicts to make civilized life possible.

– Providing public services: Governments provide services that make community life possible.

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– Providing security and defense: Governments protect the people against attack by other states and other threats.

– Providing for the economy: Governments pass laws that shape the economic environment.

Purposes of Government (cont.)

Section 2

Government Systems

• There are two primary systems of government:

– Unitary system

• Gives key powers to the central government.

– Federal system

• Divides key powers between national and state government.

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• The United States began its federal system by forming a confederacy.

– A confederacy is a loose union of independent states.

Government Systems (cont.)

Section 2

Constitutions and Government

• A government’s constitution is an incomplete guide that provides a statement of goals and a framework for governing that draws its authority from the people.

• A constitutional government places limits on the powers of those who govern.

• A preamble is a statement that sets forth the goals and purposes that the government will serve.

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• The main body of a constitution sets out the plan for government divided into articles and sections.

• Most written constitutions describe the procedure for amending, or changing, the constitution.

• Constitutional law is the field of law that studies questions on how to interpret the Constitution.

Constitutions and Government (cont.)

Section 2

Politics and Government

• Politics refer to the struggle to control government and manage societal conflicts that could influence the lives of individuals.

• People participate in politics to:

– influence what benefits and services the government supplies and

– turn their values and beliefs into public policy.

• Politics can affect several key matters:

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– Air and water quality

– Economic conditions

– Peace and war

– Citizen’s rights and freedoms

Politics and Government (cont.)

Politics and Government (cont.)

• The Framers of the Constitution worried that special interest groups–people united by special political interests–would hinder the launch of their new government.

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Governing in a Complex World

• Inequalities among countries can be divided into two major groups:

– Industrialized nations are nations with large industries and advanced technology to provide a comfortable way of life.

– Developing nations are nations that are only beginning to develop industry.

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• Global interdependence means that nations must interact or depend upon one another, especially economically and politically.

– There are two factors that contribute to global interdependence:

• Growing industrialization

• Rapid technological advances

Governing in a Complex World (cont.)

Section 2

• International organizations have many different goals and operate beyond national boundaries.

Governing in a Complex World (cont.)

– Organizations of states of the world

• The five types of international organizations are:

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– Nongovernmental organizations

Governing in a Complex World (cont.)

– National liberation organizations

– Terrorist organizations

– Multinational corporations

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Major Types of Government

• According to Aristotle the three major types of governments are:

• Autocracy:

– One person has all authority.

– A monarchy is another form of government in which a king, queen or emperor inherits the throne and heads the state.

Comparing Governments

• Oligarchy:

– A small group holds power.

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– Oligarchs derive their power from wealth, social position, military power or a combination of these.

• Democracy:

– The people govern either directly or through representatives.

Major Types of Government (cont.)

Section 3

– An assembly of people’s representatives may be called a council, a legislature, a congress or a parliament.

– In a republic voters elect representatives.

• Only a small percentage of people might be empowered to vote.

Major Types of Government (cont.)

Section 3

Characteristics of Democracy

• A true democracy is defined by four characteristics:

– Individual liberty

• All people are as free as possible to develop their talents.

– Majority rule with minority rights

• Elected representatives enact laws that reflect the will of the majority of lawmakers.

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• The rights of the minority are respected and protected.

– Free elections

• Everyone’s vote carries the same weight.

• All candidates have the right to express their views freely.

• Citizens are free to help candidates or support issues.

Characteristics of Democracy (cont.)

Section 3

• Legal requirements for voting are kept to a minimum.

• Citizens vote by secret ballot without coercion or fear of punishment.

– Competing political parties.

• A political party is a group of individuals with broad common interests organized to win elections, conduct government and determine public policy.

Characteristics of Democracy (cont.)

Section 3

• Rival parties make elections meaningful by giving voters a choice.

Characteristics of Democracy (cont.)

Section 3

Essential Elements for a Democracy

• A successful democracy depends on five essential elements:

– Citizen Participation

• Citizens must be willing to participate in civic life.

– Favorable Economy

• The economy must be prosperous and distribute wealth to many members of society.

• Free enterprise is the freedom of private business to operate with minimal government regulation.

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– Widespread Education

• A democracy is more likely to succeed in countries where most people are educated.

Essential Elements for a Democracy (cont.)

Section 3

• Civil society is made up of a network of voluntary associations—economic, political, charitable, religious, and many others that exist outside of government.

Essential Elements for a Democracy (cont.)

– Strong Civil Society

– Social Consensus

• A social consensus refers to a country where most people accept democratic values and generally agree about the purpose and limits of government.

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Essential Elements for a Democracy (cont.)

Section 4

The Role of Economic Systems

• Economics is the study of how limited resources are used to satisfy people’s seemingly unlimited wants.

• All economic systems answer three questions:

– What and how much should be produced?– How should goods and services be

produced?

– Who gets the goods and services that are produced?

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• Economic systems of societies with more political freedom generally have less government regulation than societies with less political freedom.

The Role of Economic Systems (cont.)

Section 4

Capitalism

• Capitalism has five characteristics:

– Private ownership and control of property and economic resources.

– Free enterprise

• Despite significant government regulation, the United States’ economic policies aim to preserve a free market.

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• Buyers and sellers compete over resources to produce goods and services at the most reasonable price.

– Freedom of choice

– Possibility of profits

Capitalism (cont.)

– Competition

• Capitalism employs a market system based on competition between buyers and sellers with an emphasis on freedom of choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers and business enterprises.

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• A free market places no limits on the freedom of buyers and sellers to make economic decisions.

Capitalism (cont.)

Section 4

• The idea of a laissez-faire economy was advanced by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations.

– Laissez-faire is French for “to let alone.”

– Smith said that the actions of buyers and sellers, not the government, should determine what is produced and bought.

Capitalism (cont.)

• Mixed economies mix elements of capitalism and socialism.

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Socialism

• Socialism is an economic system in which a government:

– owns the basic means of production,

– determines the use of the resources,

– distributes the products and wages, and

– provides social services such as education, health care, and welfare.

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• Democratic Socialists are socialists who are committed to democracy in the political sphere but want better distribution of economic goods.

• Under this government, citizens have basic democratic rights like free speech and free elections but the government owns key industries and makes economic decisions.

Socialism (cont.)

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Communism

• Communism is the economic system advanced by German philosopher Karl Marx in The Communist Manifesto.

– The proletariat: the industrial working class, concentrated in factories

– The bourgeoisie: the middle class and owners of industrial capital such as factories and land

• Marx defined three classes that emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

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• Under communism, Marx predicted there would only be one class—the working class.

Communism (cont.)

– The capitalists: the ruling class with power over resources

• A command economy is one in which the government decides what to produce, how much to produce and how to distribute the goods and services that are produced.

Chapter Summary start

Purposes of Government

• Maintain social order

• Provide public services

• Provide national security

• Make economic decisions

Chapter Summary

Government Systems

• Unitary System—National or central government holds all key powers

• Federal System—Power is divided between the national government and state or provincial governments

Chapter Summary

Characteristics of Democracy

• Individual liberty

• Majority rule with minority rights

• Free elections

• Competing political parties

Chapter Summary

Economic Theories

• Capitalism—Emphasis on freedom of choice and individual incentive

• Socialism—Government owns means of production, decides how to use resources, and distributes wealth more equally among people

• Communism—No recognized social classes; all property is held in common; government is unnecessary

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