Hobbes and Locke, Forms of Government

What does Hobbes believe to be the purpose of government?

- To impose law and order to prevent the state of war - Society lives to serve the state - The individual exists to serve the state - The monarch is the head of the state

What are Locke's views on the State of Nature?

"governed" by human reason and the will to cooperate

What is the State of Nature?

A state of nature is the condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws.

Unitary System

System of government in which all power is invested in a central government.

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Authoritarian Government

A government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute/total power over the people. Examples: dictatorship, monarchy, totalitarian, and oligarchy.

Federal System

A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

Military Junta

A group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power

Totalitarian

A political system in which the government has total control over the lives of individual citizens.

What is a social contract?

Citizens give up some of our individual freedom and submit to the rules and regulations of the society in order to benefit from the security and privilege afforded by the society

What is the form of government Locke thinks is best?

Democracy--the people are involved in the government

John Locke

English philosopher who advocated the idea of a "social contract" in which government powers are derived from the consent of the governed and in which the government serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty and property.

What does Hobbes believe about the social contract?

Enlightenment idea that people must hand over power to a strong ruler, in exchange they gain law and order

Hobbes believes which emotion drives everything?

Fear.

Dictatorship

Form of government controlled by one ruler who has absolute power and usually controlled by force.

Parliamentary Democracy

Form of government in which citizens elect representatives to a legislative parliament to make the necessary laws and decisions for the country. This parliament directly represents the people. Example is found in Britain.

Direct Democracy

Form of government in which political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by elected representatives; probably attained most easily in small political communities.

Absolute Monarchy

Form of government in which the leader is a hereditary (passed down from family) position and the king or queen has almost complete power.

Representative Democracy

Form of government in which the people elect representatives who govern and pass laws based on what the citizens want.

Oligarchy

Form of government ruled by a few powerful people.

Presidential Democracy

Form of government where citizens vote for the leader of the executive branch, called the President.

Artisocracy

Government headed by the elite or upper class

Confederate System

Government in which local units hold all the power

What is the form of government Hobbes thinks is best?

Hobbes believed that government should be an absolute monarchy in order to keep citizens under control

What does Locke believe about the social contract?

People give up their natural rights in exchange from the protection of the government. However, those people have the RESPONSIBILITY to overthrow the government should it stop protecting their rights.

What are Natural Rights?

The idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

What does Locke believe to be the purpose of government?

To secure and protect natural rights, namely man's property and liberty.

What is a social contract?

an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits

Thomas Hobbes

believed that people are born selfish and need a strong central authority

What are Hobbes' views on the State of Nature?

state of war "every man against every man;" "short, nasty, and brutish"