Foundations of American Government

1
Foundations of American Government

• Chapter 1

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Four Main Purposes of Government

• Maintain Social Order
• Provide National Security
• Provide Publix Services
• Make Economic Decisions

3
How do various theories explain the origin of
government?

• Governments evolved
• Emerged under a single authority
• Were chosen by Gods
• Were formed through a social contract

4
Vocabulary

• State identifies a political community that
  that occupies a definite territory and has an
  organized government with power to make and
  enforce laws without approval of higher
  authority.
• Example United States
• One of 200 States in the World

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Nation

• Describes an independent state or nation.
• Any sizable group of people who are united by
  common bonds (race, language, customs,
  traditions).
• Note Exceptionsa little confusing!
• Nation-state term describes two different
  nations within a state (France)
• Canada a nation with different states

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Consensus

• Population the most obvious essential for a
  state is people
• Stability population that shares a general
  political and socials consensus (or agreement)
  about basic beliefs, have stable governments

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Territory

• A state has established boundaries
• US boundaries are the Atlantic and Pacific
  Oceans Mexico/Canada.
• Territories come from War or Negotiations, see
  map on page 7 for examples.
• Virgin Islands, Guam

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Sovereignty

• Sovereignty is a key characteristic of a state.
• Political Sovereignty state has supreme and
  absolute authority within its territorial
  boundaries.
• Complete Independence
• Supreme/absolute authority to make laws shape
  foreign policy
• Note no state has the right to interfere with
  the internal affairs of another state.

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Theories

• Evolutionary state evolved from family, then
  extended family organizing along the way
• Force all the people of an area were brought
  under the authority of one person or group.
• Divine Right God or gods have chosen certain
  people to rule.
• Social Contract supported the writings of
  philosophers, believing in the origin of a state
  was in a social contract.
• are implied agreements by which people form and
  maintain a social order.

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Comparing Thomas Hobbes and John Locke - Social
Contract Theory

• Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both believed that
  people surrendered to the state the power needed
  to maintain order, but Locke believed that people
  had the right to break that contract when
  government failed to preserve the rights of
  people. Hobbes did not believe that right

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Government Systems

• Unitary System gives all key powers to the
  national or central government.
• Create state, provincial or local governments
  with limited sovereignty
• Great Britain
• Italy
• France

• Federal System- divides the powers of government
  between national, state or provincial government.
• US developed a federal system after the 13
  colonies became states.
• Confederacy a loose union of independent
  states.

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Constitutions and Government

• Constitution a plan that provided the rules for
  government.
• Sets Ideals
• Sets basic structure
• Provides Supreme Law
• Constitution Government a constitution that
  has authority to place clearly recognized limits
  on the powers who govern.

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Other Constitution terms

• Preamble statement that sets forth the goals
  and purpose.
• Framework main body of constitution divided
  into parts called articles and sections.
• Constitutional law interpretation and
  application of the constitution.
• Supreme Law for all states

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Politics

• The effort to control or influence the conduct
  and policies of government.
• Importance
• Conflicts of society are managed
• Peaceful way to compete with each other
• Key matters can be solved

15
Industrialized Nations

• About 20 state are known as this
• US, Japan, Canada, Australia, France
• Large Industry
• Advanced Technology
• Overall comfortable way of life

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Developing Nations

• Only beginning to develop Industrially
• Approx 100 countries
• Starvation, disease, political turmoil are a way
  of life
• A fraction of income per person compared to other
  countries
• Examples South Africa (parts) Southeast Asia
  (parts)
• Newly Industrialized Mexico, South Korea,
  Singapore, Malaysia, Algeria, Kenya

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Major Types of Government

• Autocracy Any system of government in which the
  power and authority rule in the hands of a single
  individual
• Oldest and most common form
• Totalitarian Dictatorship ideas of a single
  leader are glorified.
• Hitler Germany (1933-1945)
• Mussolini Italy (1922-1943)
• In this dictatorship, govt is not responsible to
  the people, the people lack the power to limit
  their rulers

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Monarchy

• Another form of Autocracy
• King, Queen or Emperor exercise supreme powers
  of government
• Absolute Monarchy complete and unlimited power
  to rule their people.
• King of Saudi Arabia (rare now common in the
  1400-1700s)
• Constitutional Monarchs share governmental
  powers with elected legislatures or just
  ceremonial leaders

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Oligarchy

• Any system of government in which a small group
  holds power.
• Derives power from wealth, military power, social
  position or a combo of all.
• Sometimes Religion
• Communist Countries China
• Leaders and armed forces control the government.

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Democracy

• Any system of government in which rule is by the
  people.
• Key idea is people hold sovereign power.
• Govt of the people, by the people, and for the
  people Abraham Lincoln

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Democracy 2 Forms

• Representative people elect representatives and
  give them responsibility and power to make laws
  and conduct government.
• Practiced in cities and states
• Republic voters are the source of the
  governments authority
• Direct people govern themselves by voting on
  issues individually as citizens
• No country today uses this

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Characteristics of Democracy

• Individual Liberty
• Equal opportunity
• Majority Rule with Minority Rights
• Respect for minority rights

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Economic Theories

• Economics can be defined as the study of human
  efforts to satisfy seemingly unlimited wants
  through the use of limited resources.
• Resources natural materials (land, water,
  minerals and trees)
• Not enough resources available therefore we must
  decide how these resources are to be used.

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Capitalism

• 5 Main Characteristics
• Private ownership and control of property and
  economic resources
• Free Enterprise
• Competition among businesses
• Freedom of Choice
• The possibility of Profits

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Origins of Capitalism

• Gradually developed
• People can work for economic gain
• Wealth should be used aggressively
• Free Market buyers and sellers are free to make
  unlimited economic decisions in the marketplace

Competition plays a key role. Laissez faire
to let alone . Government should keep hands off
the economy.
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Governmental Influence

• Increasing since the 1900s
• Protects the consumer
• Meat Inspection Act
• Pure Food and Drug act
• Great Depression 1930s
• Social Security set up
• Social Programs
• Public Corporations set up

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Mixed Market Economies

• Free enterprise combined with support by
  government agencies in the marketplace.
• This is what the American Economy is.
• Rooted deeply in idea of individual initiative
• Respects right of all persons to own private
  property
• Recognizes freedom to make economics choices is
  part of the freedom of political choice.

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Socialism

• The government owns the basic means of
  production, determines the use of their sources,
  distributes products and provides services.
• 3 Goals
• Distribution of wealth equally among people
• Societys control through its govt, of all major
  decisions about production
• Public ownership of most land, factories, and
  other means of production

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Democratic Socialism

• The Socialists who believed in peaceful changes
  wanted to work with in the democratic political
  system to improve economic conditions.
• Government owns basic means of production and
  makes most democratic decisions
• Tanzania, Denmark, Norway Sweden

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Communism

• Karl Marx German writer who was socialist,
  published his ideas in a pamphlet The
  Communist Manifesto