development of american systems of government ap american government and politics sanford-green text...

Development of American Systems of Government

AP American Government and Politics

Sanford-Green text Chapter 1

What is Government?

Government is the formal and informal institutions, people, and processes used to create and conduct public policy

Public policy is the exercise of government power in doing those things necessary to maintain legitimate authority and control over society

FORMS OF GOVERNMENTPower and who wields it

ANARCHY The complete absence of organized rule Every man for himself State of Nature?

“There’s no government

like no government”

Thomas Hobbes1588-1679

Modern founder of the “social contract” tradition

Postulated a hypothetical “State of Nature” without government

Everyone would have a right to everything

It would be “a war of all against all”

Human life would be . . .

“ . . . solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”-- Leviathan, 1651


AUTOCRACY Rule by one person Absolute monarchy Constitutional monarchy Dictatorship


OLIGARCHY Rule by a ruling elite Aristocracy Theocracy


DEMOCRACY Rule by the people Direct democracy (all the people vote

on everything) Representative democracy (the

people elect representatives who make the decisions on their behalf)

Theories of Democracy

All theories of democracy rely in some way on the idea of “consent of the governed”

A 17th century idea attributed to Englishman John Locke

Borrowed by Thomas Jefferson for the Declaration of Independence.

John Locke1632-1704

A human being is born as a “Tabula Rasa” (blank slate)

Legitimate Government has the “consent of the governed“

Fundamental Rights of life, liberty and property

John Locke1632-1704

“Wherever law ends, tyranny begins, and whosoever exceeds the power given him by law and makes use of the force he has under his command to compass that which the law allows not, ceases to be a magistrate. . . . [Tyranny is] the exercise of power beyond right, which nobody can have a right to.”

-- Second Treatise of Government, 1689


Yale sociologist Robert Dahl describes a pluralist theory

Democracy is described as a series of conflicts among interest groups, which compete to promote their preferences as government policy.


Dahl’s premise is a variation of the dialectic theory

Conflict leads to compromise and bargaining, resulting in an increasingly representative public policy


20th century sociologist C. Wright Mills described an elitist theory of government

All governments are run by a powerful oligarchy of corporate, government, and military leaders

They combine their influence to promote their own interests at the expense of ordinary people.


19th century sociologist Max Weber described the bureaucratic theory of democracy

Political office holders and their mid-level associates who carry out the everyday working of government hold the real power

They are the dominant forces in shaping policy. Citizens have a negligible influence in Weber’s

view

Origins of Democracy

The American system of government did not arise as a system unique to the pilgrims, the Jamestown settlers, or the North American continent.

It has many ancestral origins We are a product of what went before

Basic Theories of Government

EARLIEST GOVERNMENTS IN HISTORY Tribes: grew out of the extended family Ruler was the oldest or most powerful man

(sometimes a woman): the chief Chiefs ruled along with the elders of the tribe


By around 6000 BCE, towns began to develop along major rivers

Tribes made war on each other Governments were developed in these towns, to

protect against invaders Major landowners (“nobles”) helped the ruler of

the town, often called “king”


Kings, along with nobles, would raise armies to protect the town

Townspeople paid taxes or tithes to pay the army’s expense

Townspeople had no authority Kings expected absolute loyalty, absolute

obedience


By about 5000 BCE in Egypt, and in the Tigris/Euphrates valley (today’s Iraq and Iran) cities began to join together; the first countries formed

Cities gave up their individuality The most powerful city-state ruler became king of

the entire country


In Egypt, the autocrat was the pharaoh In Babylonia and Assyria the autocrat was called

king Kings wrote laws, with no consultation from their

nobles or their citizens


These emperors centralized rule That is, all major acts and decisions were made

in one central place Local officials were responsible for enforcing the

emperor’s rules Local officials were not free to make or vote on

laws that would affect their area


One of the first codified (written down) collections of laws was by the Babylonian king Hammurabi

A well-known feature of Hammurabi’s code was restitution – paying a victim back for property that was stolen or damaged, or paying with life when a life was taken

This Hammurabi code was the basis for much early law in the Middle East


Around the year 500 BCE, the Greeks experimented with another form of government

Greek cities were also separate states (the “city-state.”)

Each was ruled by an autocrat called a tyrant Gradually, Greeks moved to a more liberal form of

rule


The ancient Greeks developed the idea of democracy.

word derives from two Greek words: demos (people) and kratos (rule).

Any English word ending in -cracy signifies “rule by.”


Greek-style democracy involved every male citizen in the decision-making process.

“Pure democracy” relied on two things: eager participation by all citizens a small city-state where a small population could

arrive at important decisions relatively quickly “Pure Democracy” is not practiced anywhere in

the world today Why do you think that is?

The Agora


The United States, and most countries in today’s world, are republics.

Roman law first allowed an autocrat (whom they called a “dictator”) only in times of emergency

By the time of Christ, dishonest Roman rulers declared permanent emergencies, and became autocrats known as emperors


The Romans adapted Greek democracy to fit the needs of the huge Roman empire.

Rome was a republic, using a democratic/republican form of government.

Those words bear NO relation to present US political parties!

Adult males elected representatives to a senate, and the Roman senate ran the empire


Later, countries were again run by autocrats known as kings; kingship was passed down from father to son

Kings were assisted in ruling by local landowners known as lords

Kings gave land grants (“fiefs”) to their lords, and the lords in return guaranteed a certain number of trained soldiers (knights) for the King’s army


This system was called feudalism. That word comes from the Latin word “fides” meaning “faith.” (In English at that time, the word was spelled “fœdes”)

The people who farmed the land (“serfs”) never thought much about who the king was; their loyalty was to their local lord. They might never see the king


The feudal system began to die out in the late Middle Ages (1200s-1300s)

During the Renaissance, cities again became prominent; they were ruled by princes

By the late 1500s, strong princes combined several strong cities to make nations

Can you see how government styles run in cycles?

Codified Law and Citizenship

One important element of a civil society is codified law

Laws are written down and available for everyone to see

There’s no doubt about what is allowed and what is not allowed, for everyone

Another is citizenship This implies not only a right to vote, but a sense of

membership, a stake in society


It was during the late Middle Ages that the great nation-states (England, France, Spain, etc.) began to form

Although we use the words “nation” and “state” as synonyms, they are not

Nation refers to the ethnicity of the people State refers to the government system

Nationhood

NATIONHOOD: Another important element is the idea of being a “Nation”

This includes four essential characteristics Clearly defined boundaries Population Sovereignty Government

Nationhood

Clearly Defined Boundaries Size doesn’t matter Boundaries do Lichtenstein is only about 61.7 square miles, but it

is a “nation” Memphis is about 300 square miles, but is not a

nation

Nationhood

Population Homogeneous population Most of the people identify with and support the

government Most have a common cultural heritage Most have a sense of “belonging” together.

Nationhood

Sovereignty The people govern themselves Free from outside interference They write their own laws They carry on trade with other nations They make their own decisions

Nationhood

Government The people choose the system of government that

suits them best. They expect their government to secure their

personal safety and their property


The development of the nation-states in the 1500s and 1600s marked the start of modern governments

The government of each country is somewhat different from others, but there are a few common things:

Functions of Government

Most governments have three functional areas Lawmaking body (Legislature) Executive branch (administers government

operations) Court system (Judiciary)

Types of Government

UNITARY GOVERNMENT Most power is concentrated in a central government Lower levels of government are responsible to the

central government France is a good contemporary example Although a French mayor might run his town on a

day-to-day basis, he might have to consult with someone in Paris on “major” matters (even something as simple as repairing the roof on City Hall)

Types of Government

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Power is divided between a central government

and the member states (regional subdivisions) Each state has its own government, with power

and responsibility for certain functions The central government has power and

responsibility for certain functions Each is limited The United States is a good example of a federal

system

Types of Government

CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT This is the opposite of a Unitary government Most of the power rests with the state government The central government is very limited in what it

can do The United States between 1781 and 1789 is a

good example

Constitutionalism

CONSITUTIONALISM This is the idea that “the law is greater than the

king” A “Constitution” ordinarily involves writing down the

formal limits on government But it does not guarantee that the government will

respect the rights of its people – aspirations rather than fixed limits

Began with the Magna Carta


MAGNA CARTA (1215) English nobles forced the weak King John to

sign this “Great Charter” Guaranteeing their right to trial by jury, due

process of law, and security in their property. It also guaranteed that the king was subject to

English law.

King John signing the Magna Carta


THE (ENGLISH) PETITION OF RIGHT, 1628 extended Magna Carta to commoners.

THE ENGLISH BILL OF RIGHTS, 1689, was a signed agreement by King William and Queen Mary

Neither they nor any future monarch would renege on the Petition of Right


THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT was begun as a group of advisors to the King in the 1600s;

Over the next 300 years, as social contract theory gained in popularity, their role in lawmaking increased and the monarch’s role decreased.

The British Parliament

House of Commons

House of Lords


THE ENLIGHTENMENT (18th century, European and North American)

The period emphasized science and reasoning as the highest attributes and accomplishments of humans.

Stressed brainpower, not royal blood, as the one prerequisite to being allowed to make government decisions


Enlightenment political philosophy derives mainly from John Locke’s “Second Treatise on Civil Government.”

Locke emphasized the “natural law,” as did most thinkers of his era

He wrote that people are born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property, given these rights by “nature’s God.”


Locke saw government as a “social contract,” unwritten but understood agreement between

people and their monarch. Each had an obligation under this agreement.


The monarch was responsible for protecting the people’s persons, property, and rights.

The people were responsible for tax revenues and loyalty to the monarch in return.

If either side reneged on its responsibilities, contract was no longer binding


Thomas Jefferson borrowed Locke’s words when he wrote the Declaration of Independence

But he expanded on Locke’s ideas whenever a form of government becomes

destructive of the rights of the people, it is their solemn obligation to throw off that government.


Gradually over the next 700 years, English people place more and more restrictions on their kings

In the process, they guaranteed their own freedoms and rights

US government is patterned in many ways after English government; why?


Countries have many different ways of making decisions.

Some allow much input from citizens, others offer no chance for citizens to speak their views

In describing a government, the decision-making process is described as either totalitarian or democratic.


TOTALITARIAN SYSTEMS allow no individual citizen opinion

They usually come to power by a military overthrow They use force, even violence, to control the people They take charge of the military, media, schools,

churches – the total country The rulers don’t have to obey the laws they write: they

are elite, or privileged


There are three main kinds of totalitarian systems, which we saw briefly a little while ago

monarchies (rule by one king or queen) oligarchies (rule by a handful of elites) dictatorships (rule by one harsh ruler, enforced by

his army)


DEMOCRACY, on the other hand, places rule in the hands of the people

As with totalitarian states, there are several valid ways a country can practice democracy:


Direct Democracy: every voter has a say in every issue. This is also known as pure democracy.

Indirect Democracy: voters elect those people who when then decide the issues on behalf of the voters

This is also known as republican democracy.


Modern countries usually practice indirect democracy, but they practice it in different ways:

Some use presidential leadership, in which the executive have strong authority and direct the legislature

Others use parliamentary leadership, in which the legislature directs the executive


A country’s government type is very closely connected to the kind of economic system it chooses.

Governments must be concerned about how a country makes its money, because the profits from businesses help pay the taxes that will fund the government.

Government and Economic Systems

For our purposes, there are four basic economic systems:

CAPITALISM SOCIALISM COMMUNISM FASCISM

Most economic systems are not really “pure” types, but have some elements of others


CAPITALISM: Based on free enterprise, private ownership of the means of production, people engaged in commerce motivated by profit, competition.


SOCIALISM: Major industries (the means of production) owned by the government, resulting in improved quality, lower prices, rise in living standards, reduction of the disparity between rich and poor.


COMMUNISM: Economic view of history, Labor theory of value, dedication to revolution, dictatorship of the proletariat (workers), militant atheism.


FASCISM: People exist to serve the state and owe complete allegiance to the leader, one-party rule, state socialism, private property exists but it controlled by the state.

Government and Economic Systems explained by means of cows

CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.


SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a

barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all the cows.

The government gives you a glass of milk.


COMMUNISM: You share two cows with your neighbors You and your neighbors bicker about who has the

most "ability" and who has the most "need.“ Meanwhile, no one works, no one gets any milk,

and the cows drop dead of starvation.


FASCISM You have two cows The government takes both, hires you to take care

of them, and sells you the milk.

development of american systems of government ap american government and politics sanford-green text...

Documents

anarchy n

democracy n rule

n representative democracy

government slide

real power n

elitist theory of government

oligarchy n rule

autocracy n rule