Bell Ringer• What does the United States government do for

the American people?

An Introduction to Government

What is government?• Signs of government are found everywhere.

GOVERNMENT IS ESSENTIAL!

• What would your life be like without government?

•Government is defined as an institution with the power to make and enforce rules for a group of people.

What is an institution?• An institution is a significant relationship,

practice, or organization in a society or culture.

What other institutions establish rules?1. Churches2. Clubs3. Sports4. Schools5. Parents/Families

What is government? … continued

• The government has sovereignty over its citizens.♦Sovereignty – absolute authority or power♦Citizen – the members of a community or state

• Governments of sovereign countries establish rules for their citizens by making laws.♦Law – a set of rules, made and enforced by

government.

Basic Powers of Government1. Legislative Power – the power to make law and

to frame public policies

2. Executive Power – the power to execute, enforce, and administer law

3. Judicial Power – the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society

The Purpose of Government• “We the people of the United States, in Order to

form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Purpose of Government• Form a more perfect union

• Establish justice− Justice – the law must be reasonable, fair, and

impartial

• Insure domestic tranquility

• Provide for the common defense

• Promote the general welfare

• Secure the blessings of liberty

What are the jobs of government?

1. Maintaining Order

2. Providing Services

3. Resolving Conflict

4. Promoting Values

Which picture matches each job of government?

Governments maintain order by:

1. Enforcing laws that protect the safety and security of people and property

2. Protecting people from unfair or harmful business practices

3. Protecting the country from foreign invasion

4. Protecting and promoting businesses

Maintaining Order

Providing ServicesWhat services does our government

provide?1. Building & maintaining roads and bridges2. Inspecting food and medicine3. Delivering mail4. Assisting the needy5. Building schools

Resolving Conflict•Government helps resolve conflict by bringing people together to reach common goals through compromise.

•Compromise is when each side gives up something to get something to resolve a conflict.

Promoting Values• What values does our government try to

promote by the laws/rules that they pass?

1. Safety2. Equality3. A good education4. Freedom5. Respect for individual rights

Public Good• All of these jobs of government share a

fundamental purpose: to serve the public good.− Public Good – The well-being of society as a

whole.

GET OUT HOMEWORK

What is “The State”?• The state is 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− Specific territory overseen by a single

government− All states are countries (a piece of territory),

but not all countries are states− A nation is a group of people with a common

background

Example• PALESTINE

• Nation, not a state

• A group of people that occupy a certain territory in Israel that are vying for recognition

http://video.about.com/geography/Defining-an-Independent-Nation.htm

Four Characteristics of a State1. Population

2. Territory

3. Sovereignty− Sovereign – supreme and absolute power within

its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies

4. Government

Does your school qualify as a state?

Which requirements does it lack?

*ACTIVITY* – The State of the State Worksheet

PART 1 ASSESSMENT• 1. What are the basic powers of a

government?

• 2. What are the four characteristics of the State?

• 3. What is the purpose of government?

• 4. Essential Question: Why does society need government?

• 1 - Legislative, Executive, Judicial

• 2 – Population, Territory, Sovereignty, Government

• 3 - Form a more perfect union, Establish justice, Insure domestic tranquility, Provide for the common defense, Promote the general welfare, Secure the blessings of liberty

Bell RingerDoes it matter what form a government takes?

Is there a right or wrong style of government?

Classifying GovernmentsI. Who can participate in the governing process?

II. The geographic distribution of governmental power within the state

III. The relationship between the legislative and the executive branches of the government

I. Who Can Participate?• Two basic forms:

− democracies & dictatorships

Democracy• Supreme political authority rests with the people

the people are sovereign

• Derived from the Greek word demos meaning “the people” and kratia meaning “rule” or “authority”

• Also known as republic – government gets its power from the people

• Direct or Indirect− Direct – “pure democracy”; a system in which

laws may be made directly by all citizens− Indirect – representative democracy; a type of

democracy where people elect officials to represent them in government.

• Which form best defines the United States?

How do we tell if it’s a democracy?Democracies have at least these in common:

1. Regularized methods of change (aka elections)

2. Elections are free (universal suffrage), fair (every vote cast is a vote that counts), and consequential (votes determine the outcome)

3. Competition for leadership

4. Institutional constraints on executive power

5. Separation of powers, checks and balances, etc

6. Guarantees of civil rights and liberties to all citizens (document such as a constitution, understanding of common law, etc)

What makes a democracy endure?• During the 1900’s, democracy has been the

one form of government that has not seen a decline.

Benefits of Democracy

1. Allows choice

2. Recognizes individual worth

3. Promotes respect for the law

4. Protects minority rights

5. Promotes the public good

Where do we find democracies?

• We find democracies in the advanced & industrialized countries

• Democracies are HIGHLY coordinated with economic development

• More diversified economy

http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/peace/democracy_map/production/index.html

Dictatorship• Those who rule cannot be held responsible to the

will of the people

• Oldest & most common

• Gain power by force

• Autocracies or Oligarchies− Autocracy – single person holds unlimited political

power (RULE BY ONE)− Oligarchy – power to rule is held by a small,

usually self-appointed elite (RULE BY FEW)

• Authoritarian – absolute authority

• Some are totalitarian – complete power over every aspect of human affairs

Dictatorships lack the majority of requirements democracies must

have

• Mature Dictatorships− Suppress political participation (small electorates)− Regularized change, but only elite decide− Few/no institutional constraints on executive power

• Immature Dictatorships (all start out this way)− Informally chosen executives− Usually come to power through force or violence

(coup d’état: revolutionary overthrow of power)− Personal power is limited by an authoritarian group

• For example: a military junta (military is the power @ first but are the shortest lasting)

Where do we find dictatorships?

• Autocrats thrive in societies with low education, mass poverty, and small economies

• Society is easier to manipulate

• The people need strong leadership

• Hard to overcome once institutionalized

• The Resource Curse: most resource rich countries are more likely to be non-democratic because of their extractive economies− most of their citizens remain poor

despite plentiful local resources like oil

We mostly find autocracies in lesser developed countries…Why?

We mostly find autocracies in lesser developed countries…Why?

II. Geographic Distribution of Power• Power to govern is located in one or more

places, geographically

• Three basic forms:− unitary, federal, & confederate

Unitary Government• Centralized government – power belongs to a

single, central agency

• Central government creates local units of government for its own convenience

• The central government may not have all power− Examples: France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and

Kenya

Central Authorit

y

Regional Authorit

y

Regional Authorit

y

Regional Authorit

y

Regional Authorit

y

Ways UNITARY Government Distributes Power

Ways UNITARY Government Distributes Power

Federal Government• Power divided between a central government

and several local governments

• Division of Powers – a superior authority divides certain power on a geographical basis

• Central gov’t handles issues that concern the entire country, such as the military or negotiating treaties with foreign countries− Examples: The U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Regional Authority

CentralAuthority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Ways FEDERAL Government Distributes Power

Ways FEDERAL Government Distributes Power

Confederate Government• Confederation – alliance of independent states

• Limited powers− Typically only in defense and foreign affairs

• Makes cooperation possible between several states in matters of common concern, while retaining separate identities

• Disadvantage: can be unstable because members want to do things their own way!− Examples: African Union & European Union

Central Authorit

y

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Ways CONFEDERATE Government Distributes Power

Ways CONFEDERATE Government Distributes Power

Describe the ways governments distribute power• Most countries will have a UNITARY form of

government, in which the central authority has the power to dictate what the regional authority can and can not do or control.

III. Relationship Between Legislative and Executive Branches• Two Basic Forms:

− Presidential & Parliamentary

Presidential Government• Separation of powers between the executive

and the legislative branches of the government− Independent branches/co-equal

• Chief Executive (the president)− Chosen independently of the legislature, fixed

term, # of powers not in direct control of legislature

• U.S. = leading example

Parliamentary Government

• Executive is made up of the prime minister/premier, and that officials cabinet − Members of the parliament

• PM is leader of majority party, selects the cabinet stay in office as long as their policies/admin have the majority support

• Majority of world governmental systems

• Advantage: avoids prolonged conflict between executive & legislative branches

• Disadvantage: no checks & balance system

http://web2.myvrspot.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=11&Catid=655&task=videodirectlink&id=82247

Other Forms of Government• Anarchy

• Capitalist

• Communist

• Monarchy

• Theocracy

Anarchy

• A situation where there is no government

• This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place.− Ex: Somalia – “failed state” since 1991

• Up to one million have died

• Anarchists are people who believe that government is a bad thing in that it stops people organizing their own lives.

Communist

• In a communist country, the government owns property such as businesses and farms.

• There are usually very few choices for candidates for office.− Ex: China, Vietnam, North Korea

Monarchy

• A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress.

• The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s heirs (hereditary) http://www.britroyals.com/succession.htm

• In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power.

• But a constitutional monarchy, like the UK, also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control.− Example: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Japan, United Kingdom

• A form of government where the rulers claim to be ruling on behalf of a set of religious ideas, or as direct agents of a deity.− Example: Iran

• “Appointed, rather than elected, offices and bodies hold the real power in the government. The supreme leader, who effectively serves as the head of state, is appointed for life by an Islamic religious advisory board (the Assembly of Experts).”

Theocracy

Totalitarian• This is a country with only

one political party.

• People are forced to do what the government tells them and may also be prevented from leaving the country. −Example: Nazi Germany

in the 1930’s

What is their Government?

1. A religious group overthrows the government. They create a new government that claims their right to authority comes from God.

2. After a civil war, an individual takes total control of the government; she has no experience in leading a government. She disbands the national congress and retains all power in government to herself.

3. The new President elect wins the election by a landslide. Over 90% of the citizens vote for the new leader.

4. The new Prime Minister wins election narrowly due to his political party barely gaining enough seats in Parliament.

What is their Government?1. Theocracy

2. Dictatorship

3. Democracy

4. Parliamentary