CIV 1.1

Describe Government

GOVERNMENT

• Definition:– The institutions and processes through which

public policies are made for society.

• This definition leads to two basic questions:– How should we govern?– What should government do?

PURPOSES OF GOVERNMENT• Helping people cooperate

– Safety, Protection

• Providing Services– Transportation, Education, Municipal Utilities

• Providing Rules– Laws, Organization, Constitution

• Putting Ideals into Practice– Protecting basic liberties, assuring people the

chance to live peaceable and productive lives

ARE THERE DIFFERENCES?

• Every country in the world has a government

• They are NOT all alike

• Differences include:– How leaders are chosen

– How the leaders govern

– How much power is held by the people

STATE OF NATURE• The "natural condition of

mankind" is what would exist if there were no government, no civilization, no laws, and no common power to restrain human nature. The state of nature is a "war of all against all," in which human beings constantly seek to destroy each other in an incessant pursuit for power. Life in the state of nature is "nasty, brutish and short."

HIGHER LAW• A law that has to be obeyed by those in authority in the

government.1. lists the basic rights of citizens2. establishes the responsibility of the government to

protect these basic rights3. it places limits on how people in the government can

use powers in three important areas:-citizens rights-how conflicts are resolved-how resources are distributed

4. establishes the principle of private domain5. can only be changed with the consent of the citizens.

RULE OF LAW• The rule of law is a

fundamental component of democratic society and is defined broadly as the principle that all members of society -- both citizens and rulers -- are bound by a set of clearly defined and universally accepted laws.

RULE OF LAW

• “The Framers considered the rule of law essential to the safekeeping of social order and civil liberties. The rule of law holds that if our relationships with each other and with the state are governed by a set of rules, rather than by a group of individuals, we are less likely to fall victim to authoritarian rule. The rule of law calls for both individuals and the government to submit to the law's supremacy.”

SOVEREIGNTY - Popular Sovereignty

• “the exclusive right to complete control over an area of governance, people, or oneself.”

• Popular Sovereignty = “the belief that the state is created by and therefore subject to the will of its people, who are the source of all political power”

LIMITED GOVERNMENT• System in which government

powers are carefully spelled out to prevent government from becoming too powerful.

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

• AUTHORITARIAN– Dictatorships

– Totalitarian Regimes

• MONARCHY– Absolute

– Constitutional

• DEMOCRACY– Direct

– Representative

AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS• Rulers answer only to

themselves, not the people. The Constitution is not a higher law

• Totalitarian

– Some dictatorships are considered totalitarian because the ruler attempts to control ALL aspects of citizen’s lives. [Cultural, religious, political and personal activities]

DICTATORSHIP• Dictatorship

– One person or a small group of people hold all the power

– When a small group of people run the government it is sometimes called an Oligarchy

ABSOLUTE MONARCHIES• Called this because they hold

absolute or total power. • Monarchs are usually born

into a ruling family (dynasty)

• Not many left in the world today– Bahrain– Brunei– Kuwait– Oman– Saudi Arabia– Vatican City

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHIES• Real power is held by an

elected lawmaking body• The king or queen serves

as a symbol for the country but does not have much real power

• EXAMPLES:– Great Britain (United

Kingdom), Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Luxembourg, Monaco, Liechtenstein and Sweden.

DEMOCRACY

• Democracy comes from a Greek word meaning “rule of the people.”

• Definition:– A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government

so that policy represents and responds to public preferences.

• Equality in voting• Effective participation• Greater understanding• Citizen control of the agenda• Access to many ideas

DIRECT DEMOCRACIES• Direct Democracy

– ALL voters in a community meet in hone place to make laws and decide what actions to take.

– This is usually only effective in a small community.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACIES

• Representative Democracy– The people elect

representatives to carry on the work of the government for them.

– Also called a republic - this is the government of the United States

– Parliamentary Systems

TYPES OF GOVERNMENTS

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