GOVERNMENT &

POLIT

ICS

IN T

HE BEGIN

NING…

NECESSARY EVILGovernment is needed for society to function.

Government is bad and should be LIMITED.

Individual freedoms are the

priority.

Positive Good•Government is more than a punisher…it is a promoter of the common good.

•Government does for the community what individuals cannot do for themselves.

•Government is not just needed, it is desired. It protects us from ourselves, and provides us with safety and security.

UNNECESSARY EVIL

The eventual goal of the people is to get rid of government altogether.

Government can not help but exploit the people.

Communism…everyone works for the good of society

HOW D

ID W

E GET

HERE?

A BRIE

F HIS

TORY

OF OUR G

OVERNMENT.

DEFINITIONS…

Government: The institutions, people, and processes by which a nation-state or political unit is ruled and its public policy created and administered.

Politics: The science or process of governing.

Law: A rule of conduct or action that is binding for all and enforced by the government.

THE STATE

PopulationA state must have people,the number of which doesnot directly relate to itsexistence.

TerritoryA state must be comprisedof land—territory with knownand recognized boundaries.

SovereigntyEvery state is sovereign. Ithas supreme and absolutepower within its ownterritory and decides its ownforeign and domesticpolicies.

GovernmentEvery state has agovernment — that is, it ispolitically organized.

The state can be defined as having these four characteristics:

THE STATE

Many people get the terms “state” and “nation” confused… You will know the difference

A state is a body of people, living in a definedterritory and organized politically. Like?

A nation is a group of people who sharethe same heritage, culture or history.

DO THE PALESTINIANS HAVE THEIR OWN STATE?

WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER THE SMALLEST STATE IN THE WORLD?

Purposes

1.Solves Conflict

2.Provides Public Service

3.National Security and Common Defense.

4.Goals for Public Policy.

5.Preserves the Culture.

Where did it come from?

1.Force Theory- The strong will rule.

2.Divine Right Theory- God chooses the ruler, they rule as god.

3.Evolutionary Theory- Come from early families, tribes, groups…

4.Social Contract Theory- Locke, Give some control to gain some benefit.

.

Autocracy- One centralized ruler

Monarchy, Theocracy,

Dictatorship, Oligarchy

Change is more likely

Less stable

Democracy- Popular

Sovereignty

direct, representative,

Presidential, Parliamentary, Constitutional

PARLIAMENTARY VS. PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT

-leader is elected by the legislators

-leader and legislators are of the same political party

-Prime Minister and/or President is more of a ceremonial role

-leader is elected by the people/Electoral College

-leader and legislators can be from opposing political parties (which is what we see today!)

-President has specific responsibilities/powers

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Who has the power?

Power is held in a single, central agency

This does NOT necessarily mean dictatorship

Can you think of examples?

Power is divided betweena central government andseveral local governments

25+ nations have a federalgovernment including…

3. CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT

The central government haslimited power with the mostimportant authority reserved for member states

Examples????

POLITICAL POWERS

-Enumerated Powers- Powers the national government have because they are directly written in the Constitution

-Reserved Powers- Powers that the state government has because of the reserved powers clause

-Concurrent Powers- Powers that are shared between the national and state governments

-Implied Powers-Powers that are inferred based on the Constitution and the Elastic Clause

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT?

In a democracy, the people hold the powerand give the government the authority torule over them…

What is the differencebetween direct democracyand representative democracy? In the USA?

THE PURPOSE OF OUR GOV’T AS OUTLINED IN THE PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION

1. TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION

In union, there is greater strength

2. TO ESTABLISH JUSTICE

The law should be administered fairly,reasonably and impartially

3. TO INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY

Without order, peoplewould live in anarchy

4. PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE

A State’s securitydepends on a wise defenseand sound foreign policies

5. TO PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE

To provide services and laws to protect everyone

6. TO SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY

To protect everyone’sfreedom

DICTATORSHIP

Junta: Group of Generals Lead

Pinochet ruled Chile after a military coup in 1973

Adolph Hitler

Benito Mussolini

Power is seized and kept by force to be ruled by one.

DICTATORSHIP

Most common form of government in history

Can you think of some PRESENT- day dictatorships?

Saddam Hussein

Rules with personal preferences (arbitrarily).

Louis XIV

Power to rule is generally passed down from the king to his eldest son (or if there is no son, to the queen or the eldest daughter).

To which theoryregarding the originsof the state is this form of governmentrelated?

What do you know about this person?How did she become queen?Does she really have power?

Queen Elizabeth II

GREAT BRITAIN – FROM WHICH OUR SYSTEM DERIVESWhat elements make up Britain’s

unwritten constitution?What is the role of the English

monarchy?What is the role of Parliament?How have changes affected regional and

local government in Britain?How can we describe the British court

system?

UNWRITTEN CONSTITUTION• The British constitution is not entirely

unwritten. The written parts are called the law of the constitution, and the unwritten parts are called the conventions of the constitution.

The Law of the Constitution

Many historic documents figure in the written parts of Britain’s constitution, such as the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and the Bill of Rights. A body of legal rules has also been recorded in centuries of court decisions.

The Conventions of the Constitution

The customs and practices of British politics make up the bulk of the unwritten constitution. The system is flexible, but provides no absolute safeguards for people’s rights.

THE MONARCHY In contrast to republics such as the United States and

France, Britain is a monarchy, with a hereditary ruler.

One of the queen’s responsibilities is to appoint the prime minister, but the appointment is still subject to approval of the House of Commons.

It can be said that the British monarch reigns but does not rule.

In formal terms, all acts of the British government are performed in the name of the queen.

The queen, however, has very little influence on the daily running of the British government.

PARLIAMENTParliament is divided into two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The House of LordsThe upper house, the House of Lords, consists of members appointed by the queen on the advice of the prime minister.

The House of Lords has limited power. Lords can delay, but not block, passage of bills passed in the House of Commons, and they serve as the final court of appeals in the British court system.

The House of CommonsThe lower house, the House of Commons, consists of 659 elected officials.

The Commons is responsible for initial passage of British legislation.

The majority party in the Commons largely controls the work that body undertakes.

MINISTERS, ELECTIONS, AND PARTIES

The Prime Minister The prime minister is chosen by the queen and subject to the

approval of the Commons.

The Cabinet Ministers, or cabinet members, are chosen by the prime minister.

The cabinet, along with the prime minister, provides political leadership. Cabinet members also head the various executive departments.

Calling Elections There is no fixed date for parliamentary elections. Instead, under

normal conditions, a prime minister announces the date of the next election (at least once every five years). Elections can also be called if the government loses a vote of confidence.

Political Parties High levels of party loyalty and party discipline characterize the

British party system.

ENGLISH INFLUENCELimited Government &

Representative Government

Magna Carta (1215): Limits power and first effort to assert natural rights.

English Bill of Rights (1688): Established certain basic rights for all British Citizens.

Articles of ConfederationConfederateNo tax, No judicial system.

Ineffective!

•The Constitution

•Federal System

•Separation of Powers

•Three Branches

•Checks and Balances

•Limited Government

•Popular Sovereignty

Constitution of a country in which God is regarded as the sole sovereign and the laws are seen as divine commands

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Leaders are carefully selected and controlled from within the ranks.

Mao Zedong

GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE

exercised either directly

or through elected representatives.

Tony Blair

Legislative and executive branches of government are combined.

GREAT POLITICAL THEORISTS

FROM PLATO TO MARX AND BACK AGAIN…

PLATO427-347 BCE

The very essence of government is determined by the people who compose it.

People do not have the brains to make decisions for a whole country.

Each person should know their role…ruler, fighter, and producers

ARISTOTLE384-322 BCE

Monarchy, aristocracy, and constitutional democracy.

Monarchy is the best

Poor must have some voice.

There can be no extremes of wealth and poverty.

JOHN LOCKE1632-1704People are reasonable and rationalLaws are supreme and must be enforced equallyA true democratic government is a government by consent of the people.The more communication the less need for revolution.

BARON DE MONTESQUIEU

1689-1755

The best government has three separate parts that represent each part of society.

Human reason and morality are the LAW.

JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU1712-1778

The people have ALL the power and it is unalienable!

The Social Contract

People need to serve the state.

KARL MARX1818-1898The people are the only ones capable of ruling! (The Proletariat/worker)Revolution will overthrow the bourgeoisie (wealthy).Workers of the world unite!V.I. LeninMao Zedong