Why is government necessary? Governments serves many functions - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Why is government necessary?

• Governments serves many functions

 Protects the people from outside attacks  Protects people from inside violence (crime)  Ensures that all people have their basic needs met  Provides education  Ensures adequate healthcare  Protect individual liberties

• What are some other functions of gov?

Government Basics:

• Government: the institution through which society makes

and enforces its public policies

• Public Policy: all the decisions that a government makes for

its people

• Government must have POWER to make & carry out its

public policies

• Types of Powers:

 Legislative Power: the power to make law/policy  Executive Power: the power to carry out & enforce law/policy  Judicial Power: the power to define & interpret the law and the power

to settle disputes

• Constitution: a country’s basic beliefs about government

including its principles, structure, framework, and processes – usually written.

• Politics: the process thru which government is conducted

The State:

• The State is the dominate political unit
• A State must have the following:

 Population: the people living in a state.

 Homogeneous: all people share a common culture, language, ideology, etc  Heterogeneous: people come from different cultures, languages, etc.

 Defined Territory: the land a state occupies w/set &

recognized boundaries

 Organized Government: a way of making & enforce laws  Sovereignty: supreme and absolute power w/in own

boundaries – no other state can claim power over it

Types of Governments:

Autocracies (Totalitarian Regimes)

• Dictatorships: a type of

government controlled by 1 person w/absolute control

• Oligarchy: a type of

government controlled by small group

• Monarchy: a type of

government controlled by a king/queen Republics

• Republic: a government

ruled by the people

• Democracy: a government

in which the supreme authority rests with the people

 Direct democracy: all citizens

rule

 Indirect/Representative

Democracy: citizens rule thru elected representatives

Types

• f

Governments Democracy

Governments ruled by the people

Autocracy

Governments ruled by absolute leader (s)

Direct Democracy (Pure Democracy) The people make all decisions of the government via meetings & voting. Indirect Democracy (Representative Democracy) The people elect representatives to make government decisions Republic The people who are eligible to vote choose the representatives to make government decisions Dictatorship

The power to rule is held by 1 person

Oligarchy

The power to rule is held by a small group of individuals Absolute Monarchy The right to rule is handed down from generation to generation Military Dictatorship The ruler is put in power by the military

Constitutional Monarchy The nation has a king/queen, but is led by an elected group of

• people. Example,

Great Britain

• Evolutionary Theory:

 Developed naturally from the family structure  One family member gained more respect/power

& became the designated leader

• Force Theory:

 Developed as one person or group took control

through military strength

• Divine Right Theory:

 The belief that the right to rule came from their

God

• Social Contract Theory:

 The belief that government is a “contract”

between the people & the leaders

 Leaders provide order & protection  People give up certain rights  Developed by Thomas Hobbes & John Locke

Development of Government

Distribution of Power

• Unitary System of Government

 Most power held by a strong central government  State/local government serve only to carry out the duties of the central

government

 Examples: Great Britain (England) & France

• Federal System of Government

 Power is held equally between a central government and state/local

governments

 Division of Powers – each level has specific powers that they can

exercise independently

 Examples: United States & Germany

• Confederation

 An alliance between independent states to work together  Extremely strong state governments  Central authority holds little true power, usually only authority of trade

and defense

 Examples: the European Union & United Nations

Systems of Power Distribution

Central gov State & Local gov State & Local gov Central gov

Unitary

Central gov State & Local gov

Federal Confederation

Presidential v. Parliamentary Systems

Presidential System

• Executive & legislative

branches are independent

• f each other
• President is chosen by the

people

• Each branch has separate

authority

• Legislative & executive can

check the other’s authority

• Example: USA

Parliamentary System

• The executive (Prime

Minister) is the leader of the legislative branch

• The PM is under the

parliament’s authority

• Can be removed from
• ffice via a “no confidence”

vote by parliament

• Example: Great Britain

Five Basic Beliefs of American Democracy

• 1. Recognition of the fundamental worth of

the individual

• 2. Respect for the equality of all persons
• 3. Faith in majority rule w/respect to minority

rights

• 4. Understanding of the necessity to

compromise

• 5. Insistence on individual freedoms

The Basic Beliefs Explained…

• Worth of the Individual:

 Each individual is a separate & distinct being  Sometimes the rights of the individual must give way to

the whole

• Equality for all persons:

 American gov. guarantees two types of equality

 Equality of opportunity: no person can be held back on basis of gender, race, religion, etc.  Equality under the law: law applies equally to all persons

 Recognizes that all men are not created “equally,” but

they should still be treated “equally”

The Basic Beliefs Continued

• Majority Rule/Minority Rights:

 Will of majority is what decides public policy thru elections  Assumes that the majority will is right more that it is wrong  To protect the “minority” will, laws are in place to protect the

minorities from discrimination

• Necessity of Compromise:

 Compromise is the blending or adjusting of beliefs to meet the needs

• f the most people
• Individual Freedom:

 People must be as free as possible  A person’s rights extend only as far as they do not interfere in

another’s rights

“…my right to throw a punch ends where another’s nose begins…”

Purposes of American Government

• Located in the PREAMBLE to the Constitution
• Preamble lists the goals & objectives of the US

government

• We the People of the United States,
• 1. in order to form a more perfect union
• 2. Establish Justice
• 3. Insure Domestic Tranquility
• 4. Provide for the Common Defense
• 5. Promote the General Welfare
• 6. And to Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves

and our posterity

• Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the

United States of America