AMERICAN GOVT

UNIT I

CIVICS, CITIZENSHIP, AND GOVERNMENT

Name:______

Chapter 1 – Government Basics

OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to:

1.)Define and explain government

2.)Compare and contrast different methods of organizing a government

3.)Distinguish between different types of governments

GOVERNMENT BASICS

What would you think of a government with the following characteristics:

  • No Executive or President
  • No Court system
  • No army or military
  • No power to tax
  • No single currency or money system
  • No single set of rules on trade and business

This government actually existed and it was the 1st in the USA called the Articles of Confederation, which ran our country from 1781 to 1787.

State, Country, Nation

History trivia: Is Pennsylvania a state?

Pennsylvania is a Commonwealth which is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. (4 in US = KY, MA, VA)

I. THE STATE – THE BASICS

  1. A State isa political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws without the approval of a higher authority. (A/K/A COUNTRY)
  2. A Regimeis the government system and institutions and practices such as the constitutional order in a democracy.
  3. A Nation is any sizeable group of people who are united by common bonds of race, language, custom, tradition and sometimes religion, often called a nation-state. It is primarily a psychological term to describe attachment or identity rather than a geopolitical unit such as the state.
  4. “GOVERNMENT” is the body within a community, political entity or organization which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws, and regulations. It can also be used to refer to the people that hold the authority in a state.
  5. What are the purposes of government?
  • Pass laws and provide stability
  • Provide Services
  • Settle Disputes (Court System)
  • Provide Defense
  • Make Economic decisions for a group of people
  1. What are the essential features of a state?
  • Land or territory
  • People
  • Government
  • Sovereignty
  1. TYPES OF GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
  2. UNITARY SYSTEM
  • All government power is centralized in the national or central government
  • EX: China and Iran and the UK
  1. FEDERAL SYSTEM (FEDERALISM)
  • Government power is divided between the national, state and local governments
  • USA
  • Why did the Founding Fathers choose a federal system?
  • The Unitary State of the UK had too much power and took away people’s rights
  • People were more loyal to their state governments as opposed to a new national government. They would never approve a government which took all power from their local state governments.
  1. CONFEDERATION
  • A loose association of sovereign states that come together for a common purpose
  • EX: America from 1776 to 1787
  • EX: Confederate States of America 1861-1865
  • EX: The European Union for economic reasons

II. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

  1. Basic Test that distinguishes one from another-
  • How many people rule? The number of people that control the government power
  1. Basic Forms or Types of Governments throughout history into today:
  2. AUTOCRACY

1.)Definition:

  • Government by one person

2.)Characteristics:

  • Rule by one person
  • This can be a monarch, a dictator, etc.
  • It is one of the oldest and most common forms of government
  • Most autocracies maintain their positions of authority by inheritance or the ruthless use of military or police power

Types:Monarchy: king or queen, emperor or empress

Absolute Monarchy: monarchs with complete and unlimited power to rule, this power is usually justified by divine right (the view that god granted those of royal birth the right to rule their people)

EX: Great Britain with its Kings and Queens / Japan with its Emperors / Monte

Carlo

Type: Totalitarian Dictatorship (Authoritarian Govt or Fascist Govt): the ideas of a single leader are glorified; the government seeks to control all aspects of social and economic life

EX: Hitler / Castro / Stalin / Kim Jung IL in North Korea

Theocracy – Government controlled by religious leader (Iran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 with the Ayatollah)

  1. OLIGARCHY

(1)Definition: Government by a small group

Characteristics:

  • Rule by a group; a system of government where a small group holds power
  • This group usually derives its power from wealth, military power, social position or a combination of these; Sometimes religion is a source of power
  • All political opposition by the people is usually suppressed ruthlessly

EX: Like Communist China where the leaders of the Communist Party control the government powers

Iran Today with the Shia Clerics running the country

  1. DEMOCRACY

“Democracy is the worst form of government on earth except for all the rest.”

–Winston Churchill

What does it mean? Why would he say it like that? What do you think he was getting after?

(1) Definition: Government by the many – by the people

  • Any system of government in which rule is by the people

Types of Democracies:

  • Direct democracy/ Pure Democracy / Participatory Democracy: a system of government in which the people govern themselves by voting on issues individually as citizens; this works only in very small societies since they must meet regularly to discuss and decide key issues; no country today has a direct democracy, but some small towns in New England and some communities in Switzerland use this
  • Representative Democracy / Indirect Democracy: a system of government in which the people elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct government; this takes the form of a council, legislature, congress, or parliament
  • Indirect democracies and representative democracies are REPUBLICS; a republic is any system of government where the power of the government is officially in the hands of the people; the people are considered supreme and the government only rules with their consent. Leaders get and retain political authority by winning free and fair elections.

Pros of Democracy / Cons of Democracy
  • More creative and effective in the long run
  • Satisfies the largest number of people
  • People’s freedoms and rights are protected
  • Less violent with other countries
  • Should be more internally resistant to revolution or civil war
/
  • SLOW!!! and Inefficient
  • Requires consensus by the people; this is hard to get sometimes and is time consuming; it requires patience and consistent effort
  • Requires: education, participation, communication, freedom, protection of people’s rights

(2) Ways in which government today can be more like a Pure or Direct Democracy:

  • Initiative – Process by which people can recommend changes to their state Constitution by way of a Petition. Yes – Tyler can make his own amendment to the PA. Constitution!
  • Referendum – The People’s Veto – Process by which the people get to vote “yes” or “no” to laws passed by their State Legislature. It is usually used in cases of tax increases or large spending bills (like financing a new sports stadium)
  • Recall – Process by which citizens can remove an elected official from power before the end of their term (See Arnold the Governator in California)
  • The Internet – Opens up a world of communication possibilities for politicians

SPEAK SOFT, SPEAK SURE

THE FEATURES OF A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY

The following is taken from the One World, many democracies; citizens of the world Internet project, Democracy.

What are the essential features of a healthy democracy?

"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried." (Winston Churchill)

Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy. If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences; if to social standing, advancement in public life falls to reputation for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit; nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition. The freedom which we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life.
Pericles Funeral Oration quoted in Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 2.37.1

What do democracies have in common?

A democracy is not just one thing ñ it is like a fabric, made up of many threads ñ threads of ideas and practices, of institutions and individuals, all woven into each nation’s own complex mix of cultural, historical, and geographical heritage. Each democracy is unique. But there are also common threads found in democracies all around the world.

As Winston Churchill points out above, democracies are never perfect. "The government of the people, by the people, for the people" sounds good, but Oscar Wilde’s version "The bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people" can be true too. After reading through this section you might like to think about how the common threads help make a healthy democracy, and how they can be used (or abused) to work against the principles of democracy.

In a democracy, power is spread amongst the people in various ways. It is not concentrated in the hands of one person (autocracy or monarchy) or small group of people (oligarchy or aristocracy). It may not produce results that satisfy everybody, but it is less likely to produce results that satisfy only the small ruling group. Any dissatisfaction amongst a small percentage of the population must be weighed against the dissatisfaction of the majority.

The vote – Free, Fair, and Competitive Elections with Universal Suffrage

The most common thread of democracy is the vote. In democracies citizens have the power to vote. Citizens vote to elect a government (general election) or have a direct vote on an issue of national importance (referendum or plebiscite).

  • General elections
    It is the citizen's vote which decides who will sit in the assemblies. It is in the assemblies that the citizens' representatives debate and make the laws. It is the citizens' vote (directly or indirectly) that decides who makes up the executive which actually governs.
  • Referendum or plebiscite
    A referendum or plebiscite is a system by which a specific question is decided upon by a direct vote of all eligible citizens.

But just having a vote does not guarantee democratic government. The voting system also has to be fair and free and the vote has to bemeaningful. For example, in Australia when you go to a polling booth your name is crossed off a list, so that nobody can vote more than once, and you fill in the ballot paper in a private booth. When the ballot papers are counted, there are people who oversee the counting to ensure it is done correctly. Apart from voting, there are other threads that need to be woven into a democracy.

Basic freedoms – Individual Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

  • freedom of speech
  • freedom of assembly

These freedoms allow different views to be expressed and allow individuals to combine together to be represented or a "common" voice heard. Freedom of speech has led to many important pieces of legislation being passed or repealed in all democracies. This is because people have been able to speak about their ideas in many forums to many people. Freedom of assembly has allowed the ideas of different individuals and groups to be heard, because people have been able to hear speakers debating ideas at assemblies. When large groups of people have assembled for a specific purpose they have often influenced the course of events, e.g. the anti-Vietnam moratorium marches of the 1960s and 1970s and the people power marches in the Philippines against the Marcos regime in the 1980s.

Restrictions on freedoms – Rule of Law with Majority Rule but Protection for Minority Rights

But freedoms have their limits, too. The rights of all people in a democracy need to be respected, and so speech or assembly are never completely free of restrictions. Every person holds these rights so one cannot impinge on another person's rights while exercising one's own. Without restrictions, the rights of the many are sometimes ignored for the wants of the few or of one. This is seen in many 20th century dictatorships, such as Nazi Germany or Uganda under Idi Amin. Laws and a country's constitution usually provide some protection from these extremes. Often it is only in the Congress or Parliament or the Legislature itself where speech might be truly free, where members may make almost any statement without fear of being taken to court for libel or a damages action. But even here there will be rules about what is acceptable and what is not.

More than one political view – Competing Political Parties

Democracies allow more than one political view to be expressed in an open discussion. In fact, criticism and open discussion are essential in a democratic system. They help prevent abuse of power by individuals or groups. If the opinions of certain groups are suppressed or do not get heard, then it is more likely that the needs and wants of those groups will be ignored. As such, the fewer voices that are heard, the greater the propensity toward an unhealthy democracy. Gandhi said, "Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress".

Government

Not all countries have a written constitution and not all written constitutions are a complete "rule book" for a country. However, there exists, in all democracies, a series of checks and balances within the civic structures to ensure a democracy flourishes. Some sort of guarantee must be provided within the law itself that everyone, including the government, is equal before the law and must follow the rules. Usually a democracy has separated its power to govern into three sections.

Separation of powers

The three arms of government are called the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Each branch has its own specified powers and roles and some independence from each other, whilst maintaining some ability to monitor each other. This is to prevent power being concentrated in the hands of one of the groups. Further, an independent system of courts and judges must exist to arbitrate disputes or apparent law breaking.

Stability

Another essential thread in a strong democratic system is its ability to adapt to change. No democracy will be safe if, whenever it has a crisis or does something a group or individual doesn't like, the government breaks up in disarray, or is sacked, or a revolution breaks out, or the military take control. A strong democratic system will always encounter crises; but eventually the system should be stable enough to find compromises or solutions in a democratic way. Even if governments do fail or fall, the question can be put to the people again at the ballot box for their decision.

What are the features of a healthy democracy?

For a society to be democratic it needs first to believe that it is democratic. In order for a democracy to be healthy, it needs to have its citizens practice democracy at a grassroots level, as well as at a government level. Democratic practices need to be embedded throughout the society with citizens being active in many ways. The active citizen is able to:

  • understand how the institutions of government function (parliament or congress and courts of law)
  • criticize government policy without fear (debate)
  • feel political decisions are relevant to their lives and that these decisions are fair and reasonable (open and accountable government)
  • bring about change through actions (joining in) and be responsible to society for these actions.

Further, the citizens of a society must know and feel that they are equal to each other through the mechanisms of their constitutions. Otherwise democracy will exist only in name and governments will have opportunities to develop authoritarian strains. It can be hard work being an active citizen and making decisions about the direction of a community or society, but this is a fundamental aspect of democracy.

The role of the media is very important in a democracy. It can provide an independent assessment of events and government actions, and alert citizens to problems ensuring government accountability. However if the media is not independent, whether it be government or privately owned, it will not be able to investigate issues and inform the public. Private ownership of media can mean that information is a product to be sold and as such the selling can become a higher priority than the information. Media wholly controlled by the government can deliberately slant reporting in an attempt to create public opinion and influence the democratic process in favor of the government. The advent of the Internet has increased the potential for a wide range of interpretations of information to be accessible.

Healthy democracies are often those that are wealthy and economically stable.

The visible features of a healthy democracy then, are: the vote, basic freedoms, separation of powers, more than one political view and stability. But there are more factors than these involved in a healthy democracy, some of which are listed below.

  1. An active and informed citizenry being:
  • informed, that is have knowledge of moral, social and political issues as well as an understanding of how the three branches of government function
  • actively involved in the collective decision making process, with equal access to that process.
  1. The nation needs a tradition of democracy. Historically, nations that adopted liberal values and a liberal constitution and then extended this to a democratic political system have tended to become more stable democracies. On the other hand countries that have created a democratic constitution without the experience of liberal traditions, have tended to face problems of instability and have become authoritarian systems.
  2. The government has to be open and transparent. That is, government has open doors and open records, combined with open, honest and frequent elections. These constitute the best protection against corruption, mismanagement and lack of responsiveness in government.

III. Spectrum of Economic Systems

No government control  total government control