The Political Landscape

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The Political Landscape

• Lecture 1

2

• What is government itself but the greatest of all
  reflections on human nature? If men were angels,
  no government would be necessary. If angels were
  to govern men, neither external nor internal
  controls on government would be necessary.
• James Madison

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Functions of Government according to the Framers

• Establish Justice
• Ensure Domestic Tranquility
• Provide for the Common Defense
• Promote the General Welfare
• Secure the Blessings of Liberty

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What is Government?

• Made up of institutions and individuals
• Make and enforce policies, rules, laws.
• Has legitimate right to use force to keep order
• Examples of governments include school boards,
  city councils, township board of supervisors,
  federal government.

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Types of Government

• Monarchy rule of one
• Oligarchy rule by a few
• Democracy rule by many
• Direct Democracy Everyone who chooses to
  participate is involved directly in
  decision-making (Switzerland ballot initiatives
  New England town meetings)
• Representative Democracy Citizens elect
  representatives to act in their interests, but
  not as their proxiesi.e., not necessarily
  according to their wishes, but with enough
  authority to exercise initiative in the face of
  changing circumstances (Virginia House of
  Burgesses, Unites States).

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Social Contract Theory

• Thomas Hobbes Leviathan (absolute authority)
• society is a population beneath an authority, to
  whom all individuals in that society covenant
  just enough of their natural right for the
  authority to be able to ensure internal peace and
  a common defense.
• John Locke Two Treatises of Government
• government could only be legitimate if it
  received the consent of the governed through a
  social contract and protected the natural rights
  of life, liberty, and estate. If such consent was
  not given, citizens have a right of rebellion.

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Attributes of American Democracy (political
culture)

• Personal Liberty
• Equality
• Popular Consent
• Popular Sovereignty
• Majority Rule
• Individualism
• Civil Society

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Political Ideology

• Set of ideals or principles of a social movement
  or institution that attempts to explain how
  society should work.
• Liberal Dedicated to personal liberty, social
  justice and secularism.
• Conservative Dedicated to traditional values,
  preservation of individual and corporate rights
  from government, capitalism
• Libertarian Advocate that individuals should be
  free to do whatever they wish with their person
  or property, as long as they do not infringe on
  the same liberty of others.