Chapter 1-Foundations of American Government

  1. Principles of Government
  2. 4 Essential Features of a State
  3. Population (people)
  4. States where people agree about beliefs & values have the most stable governments
  5. Distribution—where people live affect policies
  1. Territory
  2. Boundaries may change as a result of: war, negotiations, & purchases made.
  1. Sovereignty—Authority
  2. # 1 key characteristic of a state
  1. Government
  2. Institution through which a state maintains social order, provides public services, & enforces decisions that are binding on all its residents.
  1. Origins of the State (Theories)
  2. Force Theory—The need for a state to resist an enemy
  3. Divine Right Theory—People are chosen by a God or Gods to rule.
  4. Social Contract Theory—
  5. Thomas Hobbes—People surrendered their freedom to the state in exchange for order & security

----As long as order was maintained; people could not break the contract

  1. John Locke
  1. Men & women have natural rights—Life, liberty, & property
  2. If government did not protect rights, people could rebel or change the government
  1. Purpose of Government:
  2. Maintain Social Order
  3. Provide Public Services
  4. Provide National Security
  5. Masking Economic Decisions

II.The Formation of Government

  1. Government Systems
  2. Unitary System—Gives all key powers to a central government Ex: Great Britain, Italy, & France
  3. Federal System—Power divided between the National; & State Governments. Ex: United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Russia, India
  1. Constitutions & Government
  2. Constitution—Plan of Government
  3. Purpose of Constitution:
  4. It sets outs ideals that the people bound by the Constitution believe in and share (Preamble)
  5. Establishes structure of government & defines the government’s powers and duties Ex: U.S.—7 Articles & 21 sections
  6. “Supreme Law of the Country”

3. Constitutions are incomplete guides!! Why?

  1. No written constitution can spell out all laws, customs, & ideas.
  2. It does not always reflect actual government practice Ex: China
  1. Politics & Government
  2. Politics—Effort to control or influence the conduct & policies of government.
  3. Seek government benefits & services, but at what cost & who should pay for these
  4. Politics manage conflicts in society in a peaceful way. Ex: air quality, economic conditions, Peace & war
  1. Governing in a Complex World
  2. Major inequalities Among States---Industrialized nations v. Developing Nations
  3. Nations are interdependent upon one another, economically & politically.---Ex: NAFTA (1993)
  4. International Organizations (4 Types)
  5. National Liberation Organizations
  6. Goal: Independent state for a particular ethnic group or religious group Ex: PLO & IRA
  7. Terrorist Organizations/Quasi-Military Organizations
  8. Chain-of-command from top to bottom & orders must be obeyed.
  9. Ex: Al-Qaeda
  10. Multinational Corporations in many countries
  11. Ex; General Motors, AT&T, Nabisco
  12. International Organizations that are composed of many nations working together for common goals.
  13. Ex: World Trade Organization (WTO) & United nations (UN)
  14. Nongovernmental Organizations—Private groups set up a goal that effects multiple nations
  15. Ex: Greenpeace & Doctors w/out Borders
  1. Types of Government
  2. Major Types of Government
  3. Autocracy—Oldest type of Government
  4. Power & authority to rule are in the hands of a single individual
  5. Dictatorships (Totalitarian)—Rules by force with no rights for people
  6. Monarchy—King/Queen inherits the throne
  1. Absolute Monarchy—power unlimited
  2. Constitutional Monarchy—King/Queen are limited by law or Constitution
  3. Ex: great Britain, Sweden, Japan, Netherlands

2. Oligarchy—Small group holds power.

  1. Derive their power from their wealth, social position, military power, or a combination.
  2. Hold elections but only one person on the ballot

3. Democracy—Ruled by the People

  1. 2 types of Democracy
  2. Direct Democracy—Citizens vote directly on issues

a.Ex; New England Town meetings

  1. Representative Democracy—People elect representatives & give them the power to make laws & run the government
  1. Characteristics of Democracy:
  2. Individual Liberty—People be as free as possible to develop their talents
  3. Majority Rule w/ minority rights
  4. People accept decisions made by the majority of voters
  5. Constitution helps ensure rights of minorities in most cases
  6. Free Elections
  7. Everyone’s vote carries the same weight—“One person, One Vote”
  8. All candidates have the right to express their views freely
  9. Citizens are free to help candidates or support issues.
  10. Legal requirements for voting are kept to a minimum (age, residence, & citizenship)
  11. Citizens vote by secret ballot w/out fear of punishment
  12. Competing Political Parties

---Political Party—Group of Individuals w/ broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, & determine public policy

  1. Essential Elements for a Democracy:
  2. Citizen participation
  3. Favorable Economy—Free Enterprise
  4. Widespread Education
  5. Strong Civil Society
  6. Civil Society—Complex network of voluntary associations, religious organizations, economic groups that exist independently of government.
  7. Ex: Labor unions, Red Cross, NRA, Churches
  8. Social Consensus—People accept democratic values & have a general agreement about the purpose & limits of government
  1. Economic Theories

Economics—Study of human efforts to satisfy unlimited wants through the use of limited resources (Natural materials & Human factors)

  1. Role of Economic Systems:
  2. What & How much should be produced?
  3. How should goods & services be produced?
  4. Who gets the goods & services that are produced?
  1. Capitalism (5 Characteristics)
  2. Private ownership & control of property & resources.
  3. Free Enterprise—Buyers & sellers make decision (supply & demand)
  4. Competition among businesses, workers, & consumers.
  5. Freedom of choice by consumers.
  6. Possibility of Profits

*** Laissez-Faire—No Government interference—“Let Alone”

United States—Mixed Market Economy—Free enterprise is combined w/ & supported by government decisions in the marketplace.

  1. Socialism (Main Goals)
  2. Equal distribution of wealth & economic opportunity among people
  3. Government makes all major decisions about production
  4. Public Ownership (People) of most lands & small industries
  1. Communism

1. Command Economy—All decisions made by government