Introduction to CivicsCitizenship and the Origins of Government

Key Terms you need to know Citizenship: Membership in a political community, such as a

country, including rights, duties and responsibilities.

Government: A system by which a group of people makes laws that are enforced to guide the affairs of the community, such as a country, province or municipality.

Society: A group of interacting people who share a community

Authoritarian: A form of decision making or a government system in which one person, or a small group holds all power (e.g. a dictatorship).

Democratic: A form of decision making in which all group members have a vote.

Consensus: A group decision reached through discussion to which all group members agree.

Key Terms you need to Know Politics: A human activity in which opposing individuals or

groups mobilize support to obtain power to govern.

Power: The ability of an individual or group to get what it wants. (The ability of A to get B to do C)

Common Good: That which benefits all (or most) people in a community or society.

Rule of Law: The fundamental constitutional principle that no government or person is above the law and that society is governed by laws that apply fairly to all; sometimes referred to as “law and order”

Direct Democracy: A government in which all citizens directly participate in decision making without representatives (Ancient Greece)

Representative Democracy: A democracy in which citizens periodically elect others to represent them in government.

The Beginnings of Democracy

5th Century BC (495-429 BC). The “polis” (city) of Athens

was the most famous of the city states. It was here that the idea of democracy first took shape; that is, that citizens of the city could have a direct say in the affairs of the state. This democracy was direct democracy since people could make political decisions themselves without representation.

However, only free born males over a certain age could vote. Women and slaves were excluded from political participation (politics).

The Beginnings of Democracy However, as Athens grew in size, the

idea of direct democracy became impossible to maintain (too many decision makers).

As a result, their system was eventually changed to a representative democracy whereby citizens would elect other citizens to represent them. The role of these representatives (politicians) was to give a voice to the concerns of their communities.

Representative Democracy In our current democratic

system, we use political leaders to represent our concerns within Canada’s Political institutions.

However, if we cannot exercise direct democracy except at the ballot box, is it still democracy? What if they make decisions without our consent? What if they satisfy the majority of Canadians (to win elections), but ignore minority voices?

Thomas Hobbes Political Philosopher Thomas Hobbes

(1588-1679) wrote a political treatise called Leviathan.

He believed that human beings are naturally selfish and will stop at nothing to satisfy their material desires (felicity). Without government, Hobbes believed that there would be a state of Anarchy whereby man would turn against man. For Hobbes, life without government would be “nasty, brutish and short”

Leviathan

We need a powerful government to rule over the people. Governmentis needed in order to save us from ourselves. Do you agree?

Hurricane Katrina

During the flooding of New Orleans, the U.S. Army was sent in to restore order. However, in many areas there was an absence of authority. Government simply did not exist. What happened?

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

The response to Looting. Is this necessary?

Jean Jacques Rousseau French Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau

(1712-1778) disagreed with Hobbes and thought that societies were free and friendly before governments were formed. In his famous political work The Social Contract he states that “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains”.

He believed that humans have a general idea of what is the “Common good”. That is, they know what is morally right and wrong. All we need is a “Social Contract” which represents the general will of the people. Our common sense will save us from ourselves; not an all powerful government. Do you agree with Rousseau?

Why do Students Obey?

Why do People Obey?

Why are they waiting in line? Did someone teach them?

The Magna Carta The Magna Carta was signed in 1215 by

King John.

With the Magna Carta, governments and people must follow the law; even the King!

The French Revolution King Louis was an Absolute Monarch. He was

referred to as the “Sun King” and above the rule of law.

He was later replaced by Louis 16th. The French people eventually revolted against his absolute power. The result? The French Revolution

Louis the 14th

The French Revolution (1789)

The Execution of King Louis the16th

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

Questions for Discussion

How do Hobbes and Rousseau’s views on human nature differ?

Do you agree with Hobbes or Rousseau?

Citizenship “Civics” is defined as the

rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

As a Canadian Citizen, you are bound to follow the laws of Canada. You are also entitled to certain rights and freedoms.

In other words, you have Rights, but you also have responsibilities. There is a balance!

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

How are decisions made?

There are various ways in which decisions can be made. We will be discussing three:

Authoritarian

Democratic

Consensus

Authoritarian With an Authoritarian decision

making system, one person makes all the decisions.

Other members of the group follow orders and have no direct involvement in how decisions are made. Coaches of sports teams sometimes make decisions this way. Why? Is there an advantage to this system? Disadvantages?

Democratic Decision Making In a democratic decision

making system, decisions are made by a system of voting. All individuals get to vote on the outcome.

However, not all participants will necessarily be happy with the outcome! Advantages to this system? Disadvantages?

Democratic Decision Making

Consensus With the consensus system

of decision making, all group members must agree in order for a decision to be made. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this system of decision making?

What is Politics? Are we always going to

be happy with the decisions that are made? If not, how will we react? The way we react is called politics.

In essence, politics is an activity whereby an individual or group seeks power by mobilizing support for their particular point of view. Politics is the ability to get what you want by obtaining power. What is Power?

The Essence of Politics?

What is Power? Power is the

ability of a person, group, or nation to get what it wants.

In the case of governments, they can use soft power (e.g. persuasion), or hard power (e.g. military force)

Types of Government As discussed earlier, there

are various ways of making decisions.

These ways are reflected in the various types of Government:

Dictatorship (e.g. Fascism) Democracy (e.g. Canada’s

Political Parties Communism (one party rule)

Dictatorship

Authoritarian governments are usually dominated by a single individual; that is, a dictator.

Authoritarian dictators (e.g. Hitler, Mussolini) do not tolerate any form of opposition. They will usually use the military to maintain their grip on power. In other words, they do not need the support of the majority through elections to maintain power. They rule through force.

Democracy Democratic governments make

decisions based on the will of the people. They are elected.

They tolerate opposition to their rule whether by individuals, the media, or other political parties. Democratic governments maintain power through the support of the people; not military force.

Characteristics of Democratic Governments

Two or more political parties Free Media Free Press Free, Fair and Frequent

Elections Equal legal rights Courts free of Political Control Minorities respected

Is there such a thing as too much freedom?

Where do you draw the line?

Questions for Discussion

Characteristics of Authoritarian Governments

Only one political party Government controlled press Censored Media Fake elections or no

elections Unequal legal rights Courts under political control Minorities are often under

attack

Types of Government It is a generalization to

suggest that all authoritarian governments do not address the needs of the people.

Under a Communist mode of production, the unelected state government provides subsidized health care, education and housing to the population. Communist leaders often criticized the United States for not providing the necessary essentials to their population.

Closing Comments

What have we learned? Key terms used in Civics The origins of government Political Philosophy (Plato, Hobbes, Rousseau) Methods of decision making The meaning of politics and power Different types of Government