Title: AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
1AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
2 3- Government is one of the oldest institutions on
earth. - Enlightenment philosophers traced its origin to
ancient Mesopotamia. - Theistic thinkers trace its origin to Gods early
dealings with man.
4- What we know for certain is that early man felt a
need to control to govern - his actions.
- From the earliest times, it appears that life
without a controlling influence was, as British
philosopher Thomas Hobbes later put it, nasty,
brutish, and short.
5- The 4th century B.C. Greek philosopher Aristotle
student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the
Great was among the first to ponder the origin
and purpose of government.
6- He studied the polis the ancient Greek
city-state. - The English terms politics and citizen both
derive from the Greek term polis.
7- The word polis is little remembered today
outside of academic circles. - We are more familiar with the more modern terms
country and state and we use them
interchangeably.
8- GOVERNMENT
- The institution through which the public
policies of a state are made and enforced. - But this is the formal definition of government
9We encounter many governments in our lives
- Your Family
- Schools
- Jobs
- Churches, Synagogues, Temples, and Mosques
10- In each of these institutions, law (or rule)
making and law (or rule) enforcing goes on. - In other words, someone (or a group) acts as
legislator (rule-maker) and executive
(rule-enforcer.)
11- In this course, we will largely be speaking of
government in its more formal sense the
institutions, offices, and individuals who govern
us and that as it pertains to the United States
of America.
12Now, getting back to countries and states
- What political scientists and historians call the
state is the dominant political institution in
the world today.
13- The state
- (from the Latin stare, to stand)
- A political community that occupies a definite
territory and has an organized government with
the power to make and enforce laws without
approval from any higher power
14- There are close to 200 states in our world at the
beginning of the 21st century. - The United States of America
- is one of them.
15- Now lets look at each of the four characteristics
of a state
16Population
- States are made up of people.
- Some states have extremely large populations,
some extremely small.
17The largest state in the world today in terms of
population is
- The Peoples Republic of China
- Population Jan. 2009 just over 1.3 billion
people.
18The smallest state in the world in terms of
population is
- Vatican City
- Resident Population - 900
19What difference does the size of a countrys
population make?
- It can add to the number of problems the country
faces overcrowding, housing, food shortages,
etc.. - It can also be a source of political instability,
if the government doesnt deal with the problems
effectively.
20Territory
- States (countries) always have defined borders,
separating their territory from that of other
countries. - The boundaries of a state may be defined by
natural formations, such as oceans, rivers, or
mountain ranges. - They may also be defined simply by artificial
man-drawn lines on a map.
21- The territorial size of a state may be large or
small.
22The largest state in the world in terms of
territory is
- Russia
- Over 6,500,000 square miles
23The territorial size of the United States
24The smallest state in the world today in terms of
territory is
- Vatican City
-
- Size?
-
- Just under 109 acres!
25Government
- States must be organized politically, which is to
say that they have a formal government structure. - States have different types of governments based
on their unique historical experience.
26Sovereignty
- The ability to make and enforce laws and to set
policies - without the approval
- of any higher power.
27In other words
- The Congress of the United States can pass laws
and the President can sign them into law or
veto (reject) them without the approval of the
British or Canadian Parliaments, the Japanese
Diet, the Israeli Knesset, etc.. - And of course those legislative bodies can do
the same without our Congress approval!
28Theories for the Origin of the State
- I. The FORCE Theory
-
- The first government emerged in
- prehistoric times when a strong
- man (or a group of strong men)
- rose up and forced his will on
- others with the threat of violence
- and death.
- Source of power Physical Strength
29- II. The EVOLUTIONARY Theory
-
- Some scholars believe that the
- state evolved from the family.
-
- Evolution in this context simply
- means change in a particular
- direction.
-
- The head of the primitive family
- was the authority that served as
- a government.
-
30- An extended family might include
- hundreds of people.
-
- Abrahams descendants in the
- Torah, the Old Testament of the Bible,
and the Koran are - an example of the emergence of
- this kind of rule.
- Gradually, over time, the large
- extended family required a higher
- degree of social organization.
31- III. The DIVINE RIGHT Theory
-
- Also called the Euro-Asian power model
-
- The idea that earthly rulers acquire
- their authority from God (or the
- gods) and that God (or the
- gods) has chosen certain special
- people to rule over others by divine
right - Important to many
- civilizations throughout human history
32- The Egyptians had their Pharaohs.
- The Chinese had their Emperors.
- Europe had its Kings.
- Each were held to be men endued
- with power from on high to rule
- other men.
- They were believed to be god-men
- and to oppose them was to oppose God!
- (Or, at least, thats what they wanted
- their subjects to believe!)
33- Government Powerful
-
- The People Powerless
-
- The American Revolution
- was fought in opposition to this idea!
34- And now we turn to the theory for the origin of
the state on which the Founding Fathers based our
country
35The Social Contract Theory
- Beginning in the 1600s, Europeans began to
challenge rulers who believed their authority
came from God. - They were supported by the writings of
philosophers who believed that the origin of the
state was in a social contract an agreement
among the members of society.
36- The most important social contract philosophers
were - Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
- of England
-
- and
- Jean Jacques Rousseau of France.
37- Thomas Hobbes great contribution to social
contract theory came in his book Leviathan,
published in 1651.
38- Hobbes wrote that early man lived in a state of
nature. - No government existed.
- Without an authority to protect people from one
another, life was nasty, brutish, and short.
39- By social contract (an agreement among the
members of society), people surrendered to the
state the power needed to maintain order. - The state, for its part in the contract, agreed
to protect the citizens. - But the state had absolute power over the lives
of the people. - Once they surrendered their freedom, they were
powerless.
40- and Hobbes did not believe the people had any
right to break the agreement. - He acknowledged no right of revolution.
41- John Locke took the social contract an important
step further.
42- In 1688, the British Parliament forced King James
II out of office and invited William and Mary of
Orange to rule an event in British history
known as the Glorious Revolution.
43- In Two Treatises of Civil Government, published
in 1689, Locke defended the action taken by
Parliament and went even further.
44- He wrote that people were naturally endowed with
the right to life, liberty, and property. - These rights are born into us, Locke wrote.
- They are part of our very nature as human beings.
45- To preserve these rights, people freely
contracted with one another to surrender power to
a governing authority. - As long as the government fulfilled its
obligation to protect the natural rights of the
people, the people permitted it to continue in
power.
46- But, if government ever failed to protect the
natural rights of the people, the people had the
right to break the contract, abolishing the
government.
47- Nearly a century later,
- the American colonists revolted
- against the rule of
- King George III of England, citing, in the
- Declaration of Independence, the political
philosophy of natural rights that Locke had
written about.
48The Sources of the Authority of Modern Government
- (1) LEGITIMACY
- The willingness of people to obey the government.
- In democratic countries, the governments
legitimacy is based on the consent of the
governed.
49- (2) COERCIVE FORCE
- Derives from the police, military, and judicial
institutions of government. - Government can force people to obey the law, by
punishing them with fines, imprisonment, even
death if they do not do so.
50Today governments in general serve several major
purposes for the state
- To maintain social order
- To provide public services
- To provide for national security and
- the common defense
- (4) To provide for and control the
- economic system
51The Framers of the Constitution listed the
purposes of American government in the PREAMBLE
to the Constitution
- 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
- Secure the blessings of liberty to
- ourselves and our posterity
- do ordain and establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.
52Types of Government
- In order to study them, political scientists
classify governments according to three criteria - Where is the power located?
- What is the relationship between the lawmakers
(the legislative branch) and the law-enforcers
(the executive branch)? - How many govern?
53- The answers to these questions comprise various
forms of government.
54Where Is Power Located?
- UNITARY GOVERNMENT
-
- - A central or national government
- has supreme power.
-
- - The central government may create
- lower levels to govern smaller
- units and may give those
- agencies limited powers.
55- CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT (CONFEDERATION)
-
- - A loose alliance of independent,
- sovereign states.
- - The states may create a central
- government of strictly limited
- powers.
56- FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- - The central government shares
- power with regional governments
-
- - The United States Constitution
- created a federal system of
- government.
57What Is The Relationship Between The Lawmakers
(Legislative) And The Law-Enforcers (Executive)?
- PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT
-
- - The Executive (the Prime Minister
- and his or her Cabinet) members
- of the Legislative Branch
- (Parliament)
-
- - The Prime Minister the leader of the
- majority party in the House of Commons
- in Parliament
58- PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT
-
- - The Chief Executive - the President
- is elected separately from Congress
- and serves a separate term of
- office.
59How Many Govern?
- Political philosophers going back to Aristotle
have identified five kinds of rule - (1) Rule of one Autocracy
- Monarchies and Dictatorships
- (2) Rule of a few Oligarchy
- (3) Rule of the many Democracy
- - Rule by majority
- (4) Rule of Law Republic
- - From the Latin res publica the
public thing (the Law) - (5) Rule of None Anarchy
60AUTOCRACYRule By One
- ABSOLUTE or TOTALITARIAN DICTATORSHIP
-
- - The oldest and one of the most
- common forms of government
-
- - Sources of power Force, Fear
-
- - Most dictators seize power by force
- and hold on to their power through
- the ruthless use of the military or a
- secret police
61- - The ideas of the dictator are glorified.
-
- - The government tries to control all aspects
- of social and economic life
- - Exs. of totalitarian dictatorships
- (1) Adolf Hitler Nazi Germany
- (1933-1945)
- (2) Benito Mussolini Fascist Italy
-
(1922-1943) - (3) Joseph Stalin The Soviet Union
-
(1924-1953)
62- - Key ideas in a totalitarian dictatorship
-
- (A) The government is not responsible
- to the people
- (B) The people can in no way limit
- their rulers
63- MONARCHY
-
- - Source of power Family bloodline,
- inheritance
- - Two types
- (A) Absolute Monarchies
- - EX. King Abdullah of
- Saudi Arabia
- (B) Constitutional Monarchies
- - EX. Queen Elizabeth II
- of England
64But a pure AUTOCRACY where one person truly rules
alone is impossible!
- Monarchs and Dictators must have the help of
others vassals, lords, a secret police
organization, a loyal military force, etc. in
order to rule a country! - So true Autocracy, as a form of government,
doesnt really exist!
65OLIGARCHYRule By A Few
- Sources of power Wealth
- Military
Power - Social
Position - or
- A combination
of - the
three - Sometimes
religion
66- - EXS. todays communist powers
- (such as CHINA)
- - Key idea the claim of rule for the
- people
- An oligarchy is the only real way a King or Queen
or a Dictator or the members of one political
party can rule a country.
67- So OLIGARCHY, as a form of government, is
frequently found in history and today.
68DEMOCRACYRule By Majority
- From the Greek language
- demos the people
- kratien (plural form of krater) to rule
- Aristotle coined the term demokratia to mean the
rule of the people. We have anglicized it to
democracy. - Key idea of democracy the people hold sovereign
power
69- In his Gettysburg Address,
- President Abraham Lincoln
- described democracy as
- government of the people, by the people, and
for the people
70- But two forms of DEMOCRACY have existed in
history and only one of them is practical as a
form of government over a country - Rule by MAJORITY
71Two Forms of Democracy
- Direct Democracy
-
- - Suited only for small societies
- - Exs. New England town meetings
- The smaller states or cantons
- in Switzerland
- No country today
- is ruled by
- direct democracy.
72- Majority Rule
- Do we really have majority rule in the United
States? - Do we really want majority rule?
73Well Known to the Founding FathersThe Danger of
Rule by Majority
- The Founding Fathers called Democracy mobocracy
the rule of the mob. - They knew that true majority rule can lead very
quickly to tyranny - - Either a tyranny of the majority
- or a dictator (or other tyrant) that
- the people turn to in order to have
- order and safety
74- The Founding Fathers saw DEMOCRACY as a
transitional form between oligarchy and anarchy. - They never intended the United States to be a
DEMOCRACY. - The word DEMOCRACY is not used at all in
Americas Founding Documents (the Declaration of
Independence and the U.S. Constitution) because
the Founding Fathers never created a DEMOCRACY.
75The Founding Fathers created the United States to
be a REPUBLIC!
- How do we know that?
- Because they told us over and over again in our
Founding Documents that, nationally, we were to
be a REPUBLIC and that republican government
was guaranteed for each of the States.
76What is a REPUBLIC?
- Republic - from the Latin res publica the
public thing (the Law) - Republic the Rule of LAW
77- As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the final
session of what has come to be called the
Constitutional Convention, a woman stopped him on
the street. - She inquired of the great man,
- Dr. Franklin, what have you given us?
- He responded,
- A Republic, maam, if you can keep it.
78We used to know this by heart!
- It was discussed around our family supper tables,
celebrated in our literature, taught very
carefully in our schools. - We still are given the opportunity every morning
in this school to place our hands over our hearts
and pledge our personal allegiance to our flag
and to the Republic for which it stands.
79Why did the Founding Fathers draw such a
distinction between a democracy and a republic?
- Because they knew a REPUBLIC where the Law
rules (not single leaders, nor small groups, nor
even the majority) offered the greatest
possible protection for individual, personal
LIBERTY!
80Characteristics of American Democracy
- Individual Liberty
- - Not total freedom, but freedom
- within the law
- Majority Rule but with protections for the rights
of the minority - - The Founding Fathers knew that
- any majority can tyrannize a
- minority if minority rights are
- not protected
81- Free Elections
- - Everyones vote weighted equally
- - All candidates can freely express
- their views
- - Citizens are free to help candidates or
- support issues
- - Few legal requirements for voting
- Competing political parties
- - What is a political party?
82In human history, democracies have been
rare.WHY?Because they tend to devolve into
anarchy.
- In addition, because what we know as democracy
today appears to require a particular environment
in which to develop and flourish.
83Five General Criteria Needed For The Development
Of Democracy
- 1
- DEMOCRACY REQUIRES CITIZENS WHO ARE WILLING TO
PARTICIPATE IN CIVIC LIFE.
84- 2
- DEMOCRACY REQUIRES A FAVORABLE ECONOMY.
- Democracy succeeds more in countries without
extremes of wealth and poverty and that have a
large middle class. - Democracy succeeds in an environment of economic
freedom (a free enterprise economy). - Democracy succeeds more in countries with stable,
growing economies.
85- 3
- DEMOCRACY IS MORE LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN COUNTRIES
WITH AN EDUCATED CITIZENRY.
86- 4
- DEMOCRACY CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT A STRONG CIVIL
SOCIETY, - a complex network of voluntary associations,
economic groups, religious organizations, and
many other kinds of groups that exist
independently of government.
87- 5
- Democracy also prospers where there is a general
CONSENSUS or agreement among the people about the
social and political values and goals of the
society. - Valence issues
- Wedge issues
88Economic Theories
- Economics the study of human efforts to satisfy
unlimited wants and needs with limited resources. - The worlds three major economic systems
- A. Capitalism
- B. Socialism
- C. Communism
89Five Characteristics of Capitalism
- Private ownership of property and resources
- Free enterprise
- Business competition
- Freedom of choice
- The possibility of profits
90- Buyers and sellers have unlimited freedom to make
economic decisions in a free market. - The government adopts a laissez-faire (French
Leave it alone) policy.
91- No nation has a pure capitalist system.
- The United States has a mixed economy in which
free enterprise, or capitalist practices, are
combined with and supported by government
influences. - Major news sources, including Newsweek magazine,
have suggested that since the economic downturn
last fall and the election of President Obama in
November the economic direction we are taking
is more toward government control and farther
away from free enterprise.
92Socialism
- Under socialism, the government owns the means of
production and makes most economic decisions. - Socialism has three goals
- (1) Public ownership of most land and
- the means of production
- (2) Government control over most economic
- decisions
- (3) Equal distribution of wealth
93- Socialists believe workers should share equally
in the benefits of production. - Opponents (like me) say that socialism stifles
individual initiative and hinders economic growth
through high taxes.
94Communism
- Based on the conviction that history is a
struggle between two classes - The bourgeoisie own the means of production and
use their economic power to oppress the
proletariat, or workers.
95- This struggle must end in violent revolution,
after which government owns the means of
production and distribution. - In time one class will evolve, property will be
held in common, and there will be no need for
government. - In a perfect communist system, Karl Marx
theorized, government would just wither away. - In communist systems, as they exist today, all
economic decisions are made at the upper levels
of a very powerful national government.