Chapter 1 Government

what is the State

can be defined as a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority. (more than 200 states in the world today)

power

is the ability to command or prevent action, the ability to achieve a desired end. Government must have power in order to make a carry out public policies

democracy

is the form of government in which supreme authority rests with the people

dictatorship

is the form of government in which those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.

The force theory

many scholars have long believed that the state was born of force. They hold that one person or a small group claimed control over an area and forced all within it to submit to that person's or group's rule. When that rule was established, all the basic elements of the state (population, territory, sovereignty, and government) were present

what is sovereignty

means to have supreme and absolute power within its own territory and to be able to decide its own foreign and domestic policies. It is neither subordinate nor responsible to any other authority. Sovereignty is something that distinguishes the state from all other lesser political units in the world. USA is a sovereign state.

what are the three branches of government (define each)

o Legislative- the power to make laws and frame public policies o Executive- the power to execute, enforce and administer laws o Judicial- the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society

What is Government

the institution through which society makes and enforces its public policies. Government is made up of those people who exercise its powers, all those who have authority and control over people.

Geographic Distribution of Power

- Unitary government is often described as a centralized government. All powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. The central (national) government creates those powers that the central government chooses to give them. This means that the local government is secondary to the central government. - Federal government is one in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. An authority superior to both the central and local governments makes this division of powers on a geographic basis, and the division can be changed by either the local or national level acting alone. The national and state governments work as equal partners. - Confederate government is an alliance of independent states. A central organization, the confederate government has the power to handle only those matters that the member states have assigned to it. Usually, confederate governments have limited powers and only in such fields as defense and foreign affairs.

Legislative and Executive Branches

- A presidential government features a separation of powers between the executive and the legislative branches of the government. The two branches are equal and independent of one another. The president is chosen by the people, independently of the legislature. He or she holds office for a fixed term and has a number of significant powers that are not subject to the direct control of the legislative branch. - A parliamentary government is when the executive branch is made up of the prime minister or premier, and that official's cabinet. The prime minister and cabinet are themselves members of the legislative branch, the parliament. With parliament's approval, the prime minister selects the members of the cabinet from among the members of parliament. The president is chosen by the legislature, part of it, and subject to its direct control. The prime minister and the cabinet remain in office only as long as their policies and administration have the support of a majority in parliament.

What is the purpose of government

- To form a more perfect union - Establish justice - Insure domestic tranquility - Provide for the common defense - Promote the general welfare - Secure the blessings of liberty

the divine right theory

- holds that God created the state and that God had given those of royal birth a "divine right" to rule. The people were bound to obey their ruler as they would God; opposition to "the divine right of kings" was both treason and a mortal sin. However, this theory was questioned by philosophers.

what are the basic concepts of democracy

1. Recognition of the fundamental worth and dignity of every person o Democracy is based on the individual. When a democratic society forces people to pay a tax or obey traffic signals, it is serving the interest of the many. 2. Respect for the equality of all persons o Every person is entitled to equal opportunity and equal treatment with laws. 3. Faith in the majority rule and an insistence upon minority rights o Although the government takes majority rule, they must also listen to the minority ideas as well. 4. Acceptance of the necessity of compromise o Public decision making must be largely a matter of give and take among the various competing interests 5. Insistence upon the widest possible degree of individual freedom o Striking the proper balance between freedom for the individual and the rights of society as a whole is difficult and vital.

Classifying governments

1. Who can participate in the governing process 2. The geographic distribution of governmental power within the state 3. The relationship between the legislative and executive branches of the government

Who can participate

Democracy *** In a democracy, the authority rests with the people. A democracy can be either direct or indirect form. - Direct democracy (also called a pure democracy) occurs when the will of the people translates directly into public policy. It only works at a small, local level. - Indirect democracy (also called a representative democracy) occurs when a group of persons is chosen by the people, and these people express the will of the people. It is widely used on a national, State, and local level. Dictatorship Dictatorship is probably the oldest, and it is certainly the most common form of government known to history. Dictatorships can be identified as autocracies or oligarchies. - Autocracy is a government in which a single person holds unlimited political power - Oligarchy is a government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self appointed elite

what are the duties and responsibilities of citizen ship

Duties Serving on a jury Serving as a witness when called Attending school Paying taxes Registering for the draft Obeying local, state, and national laws Respecting the rights of others Responsibilities Voting Volunteering Participating in civic life Understanding the workings of our government

What theories make up the origin of the State

The Force theory, The evolution theory, the Divine Right theory, and the Social Contract theory

the evolution theory

belief that the state developed naturally out of the early family. People believe that these people hold the primitive family, of which one person was the head and thus the "government" was the first stage in political development. Over countless centuries, the original family became a network of related families. In time, they became a tribe and once this tribe stopped being nomadic, they developed a state where they lived

what is the free enterprise system within democracy

an economic system characterized by the private ownership of capital goods (investments made by private decision, not by government directive) and success or failure determined by competition in the market place. This system is based on found fundamental factors: private ownership, individual initiative, profit, and competition. This system is commonly called capitalism. It is also known as the private enterprise system and as a market-based system. It is based on the marketplace (not government).

the social contract theory

belief that a population in a given place gave up as much power to a government as needed to promote the well being of all. In doing so, they created a sovereign state.

public policies

of a government are all of those things a government decides to do (ranging from taxation, defense, education, crime, and healthcare to transportation, the environment, civil rights, and working conditions)

what is necessary in order to make up a state

population, territory, Sovereignty, and government

The constitution

the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of government