Lesson One: Basic Theories of Government

Requirements for Nationhood

1. Clearly defined boundaries 2. Population 3. Sovereignty 4. Government

Government Bodies

1. Lawmaking Body 2. Executive Branch and Bureaucracy 3. Court System

The Communist Manifesto

A book written by Karl Marx. It suggested that there would be a social revolution in which the proletariat (working class) would overthrow the bourgeoisie (middle class factory owners) and then set up a classless, socialist community. This book was the blueprint for communist governments around the world.

Federal Government

A federal government divides power between a central government and its member states. Each regional subdivision or state has its own governing body. A constitution defines the duties, rights, and privileges of each level of government. It also spells up the way power is shared among national, state, and local governments.

Sovereignty

A nation possess sovereignty when its people govern themselves free of outside interference. A nation writes its own laws, carries on trade and political relations with other countries, and makes its own decisions.

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Government

A system for making and enforcing rules; the organization that carries out public policy decisions.

Democracy

A system of government in which all power remains in the hands of the people. Typically, a democracy has free elections, limits on governmental power, competing political parties, and safeguards for individual freedoms. Most modern democracies try to provide some degree of social and economic equality to go with political equality. Decision making often moves slowly.

Unitary System

A unitary system concentrates power in the central government. Small nations often uses this system because it is simple and efficient, but it also works well for larger countries (like France). Safeguards that keep the national government from abusing its power are often written into the nation's constitution. In other cases, the people's rights are protected by traditions built up over the centuries.

First Civilizations

About 10,000 years ago, wandering tribes began to settle in the great valleys of the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Indus, and the Yellow Rivers. The people who settled in these river valleys built the first great civilizations. The rich soil grew so much food that they could stay in one place. Better farming methods created a food surplus, and some people were able to leave the land. These former farmers became full-time builders, artists, crafts workers, and priests. In time, the war leaders and landowners took on the role of an upper class known as the nobility. The nobles selected their own kings and queens and demanded absolute obedience form the lower classes.

Laissez-Faire

An economic principle that was based on the belief that the government should not interfere with the economy and it should let competition between companies and supply and demand regulate the economy.

Oligarchy

An oligarchy is any government in which the decision are made by a small, select group of people. In the past, oligarchies tended to put limits on admission to the ruling body. But membership in today's oligarchies usually aren't hereditary. The positions must be earned.

City-States

As civilization developed, the city-state emerged as the basic unit of government. A city-state was a city that was also a small independent country. It consisted of a city or town and the nearby farmland and villages. In time, strong city-states extended their power over larger areas. The city-states of Egypt's Nile Valley unified under the god-king, or pharaoh. In other river valleys, many city-states kept their independence. Without the stability that comes from national unity, these city-states had to fight constant wars with neighboring cities and with marauding peoples.

Capitalism

Capitalism is composed of four principles: free enterprise, private ownership of the means of production, the profit motive, and competition. The theory of laissez-faire capitalism states that companies and individuals should be left alone to succeed or fail according to their abilities.

Early Empires

Civilizations continued to advance. About 1700 BC King Hammurabi of Babylonia told his officials to carve the nation's laws in stone. Hammurabi took a major step toward providing equal justice for all. In addition new technologies gave people more control over their environments. Improved writing systems made it possible to keep written records. Capable emperors maintained law and order, collected taxes and carried on international trade. For each empire that fell, another civilization gradually emerged to take its place. Examples: Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Egypt

Mayflower Compact

Compact made by the Pilgrims when they first reached America. Only a single page long, the Compact began by confirming their loyalty to King James I of England. Next, the colonists agreed to set up a government that would provide for public order. They further committed themselves to the task of passing just and equal laws for the good of all. Finally, the signers promised to obey the laws passed by the government they planned to create. Their goal was to provide for "ye general good of ye Colonie."

Confederate Government

Confederate government (or confederation) is the opposite of a unitary government. In a confederation, local and state governments safeguard their authority by setting up a week central government. The Articles of Confederation is a prime example of this. This system worked poorly because the government lacked the power to collect taxes and enforce its laws.

Fascism

Fascism can be summed up in two basic principles. First, the leadership principle states that the people owe total allegiance to the ruler, the ruler's deputies, and the ruler's political part. Second, the principle of state socialism puts every aspect of national life under state control. From the outside a Fascist country looks prosperous, but under the surface reveals a darker reality. Elections may take place but its always rigged. If the state allows private enterprise, businesses operate under strict supervision. The fascist rulers abolish personal freedoms and make all economic decisions. Since the collapse of fascism in WWII, no major country has adopted a Fascist form of government.

Nation

In a nation its people tend to identify with their land and its customs. The feeling of belonging gives people a sense of nationality. Each nation has its own system of government. The requirements of nationhood include: clearly defined boundaries, population, sovereignty, and government.

Indirect Democracy

In an indirect democracy, the people elect representatives to make political decisions for them. If the voters don't think their representatives are working in their best interests, they may remove them from office at the next election. Direct democracies can take two forms of leadership- presidential and parliamentary.

Direct Democracy

In this form of government all citizens are encouraged to take part in making decisions. Direct democracy is also practiced in many cities and states in which citizens have the right to petition for new laws and then vote on them. Similarly, recall elections allow voters to remove officeholders who aren't doing their job properly.

Primitive Society

Is one that has not progressed to "civilization" (an advanced stage of social development). Most primitive people led simple, communal lives of hunting and gathering. All members of the group shared the meat from the hunt and the produce from the fields. The people often wandered from place to place, seeking food for themselves and grazing for their animals. People at this level of development seldom had a written language. Tribes developed as an extension of the family or clan. No formal body of laws existed in the tribe.

Socialism

It's an economic theory that calls for public ownership of the means of production. In practice, this means that the government owns the nation's transportation, communication, energy, banking, health care, and all other important industries and services. Socialists say that government ownership is necessary because capitalism allows wealth and political power to be concentrated in the hands of a few. Also, they claim that socialism provides a more equal distinction of wealth. Critics of socialism argue that the lack of a profit motivation kills initiative. Except for restrictions on private enterprise and property rights, most socialist governments also protect personal freedoms.

Dictatorship

Its a system in which one person, part, or class hold absolute power. Dictators surround themselves with followers who obey them. They place the welfare of the state over the rights of the individual. If elections are permitted, they usually are rigged and more of a public relations event. Most dictators use violent means to gain power. They often begin by raising a military force that is strong enough to defeat the existing government in a revolution or civil war. Once they take office, few dictators resign or retire. Because no orderly system of picking a new ruler exist, another period of violence often follows a dictator's death.

Communism

Modern communism is a radical form of socialism. Communism attempts to reach a "classless state" by limiting private ownership of property to personal possessions. Communists also believe in a one-party, totalitarian political system. Individual freedoms must sometimes be denied, because it will take time to replace the old social classes with as society dedicated to communism. The basic theory comes from the book Das Kapital. In it Karl Marx attacked the worst of capitalism. His views were later modified by Lenin, the leader that brought about the communist revolution in Russia in 1917. Marxist-Leninist theory can be summed up in five basic principles: economic view of history (the constant struggle of the proletariat against the bourgeoisies), labor theory of value, dedication to revolution, dictatorship of the proletariat, and atheism.

State

Political scientists often refer to a government as the state. The phrase such as "the power of the state," is a reference to a system of government.

Roman Contributions

Roman made two great contributions to Western concepts of government: a code of just laws and the concept of citizenship.

Greek Contributions

The Greeks were the first to break with Asian tradition of totalitarian rule. A handful of Greek city-states gradually exchanged their totalitarian systems for democratic governments. Many of today's democratic practices began in ancient Athens during the 5th century BC. Athenian men discussed public issues and passed laws as members of the Assembly. Historians estimate that a third of all Athenian men took time out from their jobs and business activities each year to serve their city. This example of direct democracy has never been equaled.

Constitution

The basic set of laws governing the actions of a political body. The U.S. Constitution defines the country's basic system of government and safeguards the rights of the people.

Bureaucrat

The nonelected officials who work for a government and carry out its policies.

Parliamentary System

The political party that wins control of the nation's lawmaking body also takes over the executive branch. The leader of the majority party serves as the prime minister. The prime minster presides over the larger, popularly elected house. The prime minister performs administrative duties similar to those of the U.S. President. If the majority part loses a vote on a major issue, the prime minister must resign and call new national elections.

Totalitarian System

The rulers posses almost unlimited power. No outside force, whether a constitution, free elections, or public opinion, can change their decisions. They can be identified by four characteristics. 1. The totalitarian government usually comes to power by overthrowing the precious government. 2. Uses force to control or eliminate all opposition. 3. Controls the nation's schools, new media, and other system of communication. A vast propaganda machine constantly "sells" the government's programs to the people. 4. The rulers form an elite, privileged class. Totalitarian governments divide into three basic types: Monarchy, Oligarchy, and Dictatorship

Monarchy

The word monarchy means "rule by one person." Most monarchs held life-of-death power over their subjects. Some of them misused their power and led their countries into disastrous wars. Other treated their subjects with great cruelty. A few rulers like Elizabeth I and Peter the Great provided intelligent economic, political, and military leadership. Monarchy was the dominant form of government for thousands of years. Modern monarchs have been reduced to the status of figureheads. They serve as symbols of their countries and have little real power.