CH. 1: PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT S E C T I O N 1 : G O V E R N M E N T A N D T H E S T A T E

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1 CH. 1: PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT S E C T I O N 1 : G O V E R N M E N T A N D T H E S T A T E

2 A. WHAT IS GOVERNMENT? is a system that we use to make and enforce public policies Public policies are anything a government decides to do. Ex: pave a road, make a tax, go to war is made up of lawmakers, administrators, and judges.

3 B. THE STATE A state is a nation or country. There are 4 requirements for being a state. Population: people Territory: land with set borders Sovereignty: the power to make laws, carry out its policies : the institutions used to carry out policies

4 C. ORIGINS OF THE STATE There are 4 ways states are created. The Force Theory: a person or group takes control over an area using force. The Evolutionary Theory: states begin as a family and grow over time into nations The Divine Right Theory: God gave individuals or groups the right to rule The Social Contract Theory: People agree to give up power to the state in return for certain protections and benefits.

5 D. THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT The Framers had several goals when they created our new government: To form a more perfect union: make ONE strong country To Establish justice: laws should be reasonable and fair To insure domestic tranquility: order, not anarchy To provide for the common defense: can t be weak To promote the general welfare: public services &safety To secure the blessings of liberty: freedom is necessary for democracy

6 FORMS OF GOVERNMENT Historically, there have been many different forms of governments. Although we might condemn some of these different forms of governments, they have met the needs of the states which adopted them These different forms of government fall into two basic categories-democracy or DICTATORSHIP

7 CHARACTERISTICS OF DEMOCRACY Of the people, by the people, for the people Direct (pure)or indirect (representative) People vote for representatives in elections Representatives carry out the wishes of the people People pursue their own interests, not those of the government Job of government: protect the rights of individuals against the government Freedom of choice Freedom of movement Free enterprise economy, or mixed Examples: USA, Japan, many European countries

8 Oldest form CHARACTERISTICS OF DICTATORSHIP is not accountable to the people Autocracy or despot: rule by one person Oligarchy: power held by a small group of rulers All are authoritarian-those in power hold absolute, unchallengeable power over the people Totalitarianism: control of all areas of life Militaristic-power gained by force-warlike No freedom of choice, movement for people Economy usually centrally controlled (command) Examples: Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, North Korea

9 A. CLASSIC FORMS OF GOV T FEUDALISM: Based on the rule of local lords bound to a king by ties of loyalty (Europe in the Middle Ages) CLASSIC REPUBLIC: Representative democracy in which a small group of elected leaders represent the concerns of the electorate (Ancient Rome) ABSOLUTE MONARCHY: A king or queen holds total control of the military and government (Tsarist Russia) AUTHORITARIANISM: an individual or group has unlimited authority (Communist China) DESPOTISM: rule by someone with absolute power who uses his rule tyrannically (Pohl Pot of Cambodia) LIBERAL DEMOCRACY: based on the protection of individual rights and freedoms and on the consent of the governed (Great Britain) TOTALITARIANISM: a government that tries to control all facets of citizens lives. (Adolph Hitler) THEOCRACY: a government established by God (Iran or Vatican City)

10 THE UNITED STATES Our government is a combination of the classical republic and the liberal democracy We have representatives elected by the people who are supposed to do what the people want Our country was founded on the beliefs that individuals have rights and freedoms and on the consent of the governed

11 B. CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENT Who can participate Democracy: people hold the power Dictatorship: participation limited to the ruler

12 B. CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENT Who can participate Democracy: people hold the power Dictatorship: participation limited to the ruler Geographic Systems of Gov t Unitary: power is held by a single, central agency Federal: power is divided between a national government and state governments Confederate: an alliance of independent countries

13 UNITARY SYSTEM Central

14 FEDERALISM Power is shared between the national government and local governments National

15 CONFEDERATE SYSTEM Power is held by state and local governments Central

16 B. CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENT Who can participate Democracy: people hold the power Dictatorship: participation limited to the ruler Geographic Systems of Gov t Unitary: power is held by a single, central agency Federal: power is divided between a national government and state governments Confederate: an alliance of independent countries Relationship between Legislative and Executive Branches Presidential: leg. And exec. Branches are separate and equal Parliamentary: the executive is chosen by members of the legislative branch. It s part of the legislative branch and under it s control.

17 A. FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY American democracy relies on people s acceptance of certain basic concepts. These concepts are difficult to do. Fundamental Worth of the Individual Equality of All Persons Majority rule and Minority rights Necessity for Compromise Individual Freedom

18 BASIC CONCEPTS OF DEMOCRACY, CONTINUED Democracy and Free Enterprise: they go hand in hand Freedom of choice, freedom of movement Everyone has the opportunity to decide where to work, where to live what to buy Entrepreneurs have the freedom to create new products or services to sell and to decide what to charge for those creations.