“if men were angels, no government would be necessary” james madison “government, even in its...
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“If men were angels, no government would be necessary”James Madison
“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil…”Thomas Paine
Social Contract Theory• Jean-Jacques Rousseau, et al.
• We have to give up freedom to gain the ultimate freedom – rule of law
• We enter into an unwritten contract with our fellow citizens
The state/nation can be defined as having these four characteristics:
PopulationPeople – Which nation has the largest population? How many citizens are there in the United States?
SovereigntyA nation must have absolute and complete authority to make the rules within its own territory.
GeographyA nation must have a territory with known and recognized boundaries. Which country has the largest territory?
GovernmentInstitution by which rules and public policies are established to create an ordered society.
Origins of State• Evolution – naturally evolved over
time from family
• Force – a rule or group of rulers used force to create a nation
• Divine Right – came from God
• Social Contract Theory – see Rousseau
Which of the following is not one of the four characteristics of a state?
A. Government
B. Monarchy
C. Territory
D. Sovereignty
E. Population
Which of the following is not one of the four characteristics of a state?
A. Government
B. Monarchy
C. Territory
D. Sovereignty
E. Population
What is Citizenship?• Citizenship
– Sharing of rights and responsibilities that go with living together
–Sharing a common bond
What brings people together to form a society?
• Geography
– rivers
– mountains
– natural boundaries
What brings people together to form a society?
• Beliefs– religion
What brings people together to form a society?
• Culture– language– customs– history
What brings people together to form a society?
• Protection against a common enemy
• Most Central European countries were created to protect themselves from the marauders from the East
What brought the Americans together to form a country?
Search for Freedom• religious - Pilgrims• political - many other European• from prosecution - many criminals fled to America• economic - many sought fortune in the New World - protect private property from state taxes
Bond that brings a society together impacts the type of and effectiveness of the government
• Yugoslavia - forced together after WWI - collapsed into splinter countries in 1980-90s
•Switzerland - loose alliance of the Cantons•Israel - strong government with fewer freedoms in terms of religion•France - Seven types of government since 1789 but still one nation tied by culture
Alternative to government:• Anarchy - means lack of government –chaos
- Lebanon in 1980s - Lawlessness – violence
- Survival of the fittest
Which country was the example for religion creating a common bond
and affecting the style of government they have?
A. United States
B. France
C. Israel
D. Switzerland
E. Lebanon
Which country was the example for religion creating a common bond
and affecting the style of government they have?
A. United States
B. France
C. Israel
D. Switzerland
E. Lebanon
What should governments do for the people?
Preamble:• form a more perfect union• establish justice• insure domestic tranquillity• provide for the common defense• promote the general welfare• secure the blessings of liberty
How do governments gain the authority to rule?• Popular sovereignty – democracy
Power from the people
How do governments gain the authority to rule?
• Popular sovereignty – democracyPower from the people
• Military might - coup de tat – take government by force – martial law
How do governments gain the authority to rule?
• Popular sovereignty – democracyPower from the people
• Military might - coup de tat – take government by force – martial law• Divine Right – God king/queen or monarch
How do governments gain the authority to rule?
• Popular sovereignty – democracyPower from the people
• Military might - coup de tat – take government by force – martial law• Divine Right – God king/queen or monarch – (constitutional monarchy)• Bureaucratic Totalitarianism - use of the bureaucracy – extensive rules
Classifying GovernmentsGovernments can be classified by three
different standards:(1) Who can participate in the governing
process.(2) The relationship between the legislative
(lawmaking) and the executive (law-executing) branches of the government.
(3) The geographic distribution of the governmental power within the state.
Classifying GovernmentsGovernments can be classified by three
different standards:(1) Who can participate in the governing
process.(2) The geographic distribution of the
governmental power within the state.(3) The relationship between the legislative
(lawmaking) and the executive (law-executing) branches of the government.
Which one of the following is not part of the Preamble to the U.S.
Constitution?
A. Form a more perfect union
B. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
C. Secure the blessings of liberty
D. Insure domestic tranquility
E. Provide for the common defense
F. Promote the general welfare
G. All of these are part of the Preamble
Which one of the following is not part of the Preamble to the U.S.
Constitution?
A. Form a more perfect union
B. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
C. Secure the blessings of liberty
D. Insure domestic tranquility
E. Provide for the common defense
F. Promote the general welfare
G. All of these are part of the Preamble
Who can participate:
• Democracy
• Dictatorship
Types of Democracy• Direct or participatory democracy - Greece
– direct elections– town meetings– referendum - recall - initiative
• Indirect or representative democracy - U.S.
– republic/republicanism
• Democratic centralism - Soviet Union
– input from many sectors– once decision is made support it
Limits on Government
• Authoritarian – no checks on power or authority of government
Note: may be authoritarian without misusing power, simply means no checks on power of government
“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”Lord Acton
Limits on Government
• Authoritarian – no checks on power or authority of government
• Totalitarian – complete control of all aspects of government and life without checks
Note: all totalitarian governments are authoritarian also
Limits on Government
• Authoritarian – no checks on power or authority of government
• Totalitarian – complete control of all aspects of government and life without checks
• Limited Government – checks or limits on the power of government
Concepts of Democracy
• Importance of the individual
Individual freedom = personal liberty• Equality
–everyone equal???–equality of opportunity–equality before the law
Concepts of Democracy
• Majority rule/minority rights
–tyranny of majority - de Tocqueville
• Compromise - Madison quote
When the people elect their leaders to make decisions for them we call
this:
A. Monarchy
B. Direct Democracy
C. Indirect Democracy
D. Bureaucratic Totalitarianism
E. Democratic Centralism
When the people elect their leaders to make decisions for them we call
this:
A. Monarchy
B. Direct Democracy
C. Indirect Democracy
D. Bureaucratic Totalitarianism
E. Democratic Centralism
Alternatives to democracy:• Dictatorship - unlimited government - complete control of
all aspects of your life by government - Hitler’s Germany
Alternatives to democracy:
• Oligarchy - a handful of rulers rule - junta
Alternatives to democracy:• Monarchy - one ruler who gets position by heredity • Constitutional monarchy (no real power)
– Queen Elizabeth II of England
Leadership• Presidential
• Parliamentarian
Parliamentarian v. Presidential
Parliament
Prime Minister
Cabinet
ParliamentaryVoters
LegislaturePresident
Cabinet
PresidentialVoters
What do we call the absolute rule of a country by a single person?
A. Dictatorship
B. Democracy
C. Oligarchy
D. Junta
E. Bureaucratic Totalitarianism
F. Both C & D
What do we call the absolute rule of a country by a single person?
A. Dictatorship
B. Democracy
C. Oligarchy
D. Junta
E. Bureaucratic Totalitarianism
F. Both C & D
Geographical Distribution of Power
• Unitary
• Confederation
• Federation
Division of Power by Level
• Unitary - single level of government
– central government all powerful
– Great Britain
Division of Power by Level
• Unitary - single level of government – central government all powerful - Great Britain
• Confederation - two levels - states or lower level have more sovereignty
• Articles of Confederation in South
• United Nations - Switzerland
Division of Power by Level• Unitary - single level of government • Confederation - two levels - Articles & South
• Federation - two levels of gov. with shared power – U.S. –division of power between the two levels– Central government supreme in certain
areas–States still sovereign in other areas
Which do we call it when all the power of the government rests in
one level of government?
A. Confederation
B. Federation
C. Unitary
D. Bureaucratic Totalitarianism
E. Indirect Democracy
Which do we call it when all the power of the government rests in
one level of government?
A. Confederation
B. Federation
C. Unitary
D. Bureaucratic Totalitarianism
E. Indirect Democracy
Democracy in America• Responsibility of citizens to ensure democracy
– participate• vote• join a political party - work for a candidate• write your rep. or newspaper/blog
– obey and respect the law – civil disobedience – stay informed on the issues of the day
• Democracy is evolutionary not static or something you reach - it is constantly evolving
Democracy in America• responsibility of citizens to ensure democracy
– participate• vote• join a political party - work for a candidate• write your rep. or newspaper
– obey and respect the law– stay informed on the issues of the day
• Democracy is evolutionary not static or something you reach - it is constantly revolving
• Jefferson - “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be...”
Which of the following is not part of preserving democracy in America?
A. Vote
B. Stay informed on the issues of the day
C. Write or email your elected leaders
D. Obey and respect the law
E. These are all parts of preserving democracy in America
Which of the following is not part of preserving democracy in America?
A. Vote
B. Stay informed on the issues of the day
C. Write or email your elected leaders
D. Obey and respect the law
E. These are all parts of preserving democracy in America
Who said “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what
never was and never will be?
A. George Washington
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. James Madison
D. Ben Franklin
E. George W. Bush
F. Adolph Hitler
Who said “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what
never was and never will be?
A. George Washington
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. James Madison
D. Ben Franklin
E. George W. Bush
F. Adolph Hitler
