Bellwork

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Bellwork

• What is the goal of politics?
• Is political science a hard science or a soft
  science? Why?

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Forms of Government
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Clarification

• Correct roots of politics
• politikos (Gr.)
• - pertaining to a citizen or public affairs

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Politics Government

• If you recall, politics is how human beings
  regulate conflict within society and give
  benefits and privileges to those deemed deserving
• So what is government?
• Therefore the best way to understand the
  relationship between politics and governments is
  the following

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Politics and Government

• Government is the structures put in place to
  serve the function of politics
• (i.e., resolve conflict, make decisions,
  allocate values, give privileges benefits)
• Things like
• Laws
• Courts
• Employee benefits
• Drivers licenses

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Early Government

• When there were just tribes and families,
  governments were not needed.
• Leaders made all the decisions regarding politics
• Control of resources
• Establishing privileges and benefits
• Focus of the day to day life
• Everything determined informally

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Growing Governments

• As time passed, families and tribes grew into
  villages and cities
• More people and more issues led to more
  complexity
• Created a need for formal government and rules to
  maintain day to day life
• Permanent
• Semi permanent

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Things Governments Do

• Establish the laws
• Enforce the laws
• Decide issues of justice
• Protect the people
• Establish, allocate, and protect resources
• Plan for the future/set goals
• Handle emergencies
• Maintain social norms and values

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Ways Governments Do This
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Fear, Authority, Legitimacy

• In order to carry out all of these, there must be
  some reason to obey the government
• Fear of punishment or reprisal
• Belief in the right of the government to do so
• Social contract
• Benefits to you
• ???

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Fear, Authority, Legitimacy

• Authority the ultimate power of the government
  to make and enforce decisions
• Legitimacy the belief that the government,
  laws, decisions of the government are right
• Note Not all governments/leaders that have
  authority also have legitimacy

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Authority vs. Legitimacy

• Sometimes we obey the law because we believe
• It is legitimate
• The government has the power or authority
• Other times, we may obey the law simply because
• We believe it legitimate (the right thing to do)
• We fear the power of the government

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Totalitarian Regime

• A form of government that controls all aspects of
  political and social life.
• Citizens have no power to control who leads them
  or how politics are handled.
• This is where laws are followed due to authority
  of the government vs. the legitimacy of the laws
• FORCE theory

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Forms of Governments

• Fundamental question of Poli-Sci
• Who controls society through the government?
• Many extremes
• Few people have control
• Many people have control
• NO people have control

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Monarchy

• Mono one
• One person controls the government
• King or Queen (sovereign)
• King vs. dictator
• Types of monarchies
• Absolute monarchy
• Constitutional monarchy

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Examples

• Vatican City
• Saudi Arabia
• Swaziland
• Bhutan
• Mostly shot down after the American and French
  Revolution
• Popular Sovereignty

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Monarchy

• Positives

• Negatives

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Oligarchy

• Oligon few
• A small group of people control the government
• Family, political group, common interest
• Elite Theory
• Aristocracy
• Plutocracy

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Elite Theory

• A theory that says society should be ruled by a
  small number of interested and qualified people
  should make decisions regarding politics
• (Everyone doesnt care)

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Aristocracy Plutocracy

• Aristos best
• Rule by those best suited for the job of
  political decision making
• Later belief became that only the upper social
  class was qualified
• Pluto wealth
• Rule of money or the wealthy class

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Do Aristocracies still exist?

• French Revolution
• Became a negative idea
• Do they still exist?

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Oligarchies today

• South Africa in 20th century (whites)
• Ended in 1994
• Capitalism????
• Who has the real power?

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Oligarchy

• Positives

• Negatives

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Democracy

• Demos people
• Many people rule the government
• Social Contract
• Direct Democracy
• All citizens meet in assembly
• Elected people do the will of the assembly
• Representative Democracy
• Representatives elected to make decisions
• Elected persons hold power (if people agree)

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Majority Rule

• Basic principle of democracy that says the
  greatest number of people (the majority) should
  make decisions and control politics

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Democracy

• Positives

• Negatives

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Democracy

• United States

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Anarchy

• Archons without rulers
• No government or no laws exist
• Everyone is left to govern themselves
• State of Nature?

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Anarchy

• Positives

• Negatives

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Exercise