Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is Government?
Institution through which society makes and enforces its public policies.
Public Policies
All those things a government decides to do.
Unalienable rights
- Can’t change
- Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Where does the power of the government come from?
-God
-Force
-People
6 forms of Government
- Anarchy: having no government
- Dictatorship/Monarchy: power rests within one person
- Oligarchy: ruled by a small group of people
- Democracy: rule by the majority of people
- Republic- Ruled by the law
- Theocracy: Ruled by a religious leader
3 powers of the government
- Legislative: makes the law - Congress
- Executive: enforces the law - President
- Judicial: apply/interpret the law - supreme court
What grants the government its power?
The constitution
What is the constitution?
Fundamental laws establishing principles of government
What is a “State”?
Dominant political unit in the world - a country or nation.
What are the 4 characteristics of a State?
- Population (people)
- Territory/border (land)
- Sovereignty (supreme power)
- Central Government (politically organized)
What are the 4 origins of state and what do they mean?
- Forced Theory: Right to rule comes through coercion or force.
- Evolutionary Theory: Right to rule evolved over time. (Stages of Development: Family, Clan, Tribe)
- Divine Right Theory: Right to rule comes from God (kings/queens)
- Social Contract Theory: Right to rule comes from the people - contract between people and the government.
What is The Purpose of Government? (6) (Preamble of the Constitution)
- Form a more perfect union: strength in union.
- Establish justice: the law must be reasonable, fair and impartial.
- Ensure domestic tranquility: provide law and order and home.
- Provide for common defense: defends against foreign enemies.
- Promote general welfare: provides services like EPA, FDA, Post Office, Public Schools, etc.
- Secure the blessings of liberty: guarantees freedom for the individual.
3 Government Classifications
- Number who may participate (2 forms)
- Democracy: all can participate (2 forms)
- Direct democracy: people can participate themselves
- Indirect democracy: people choose representatives to represent them.
- Dictatorship: one person or a small group can participate
- autocracy: single person holds power
- oligarchy: ruled by a small group
- Democracy: all can participate (2 forms)
- Where the power lies
- Relationships between the legislative and executive branches (2 forms)
- Presidential: leg/exec branches are independent and co-equal.
- Parliamentary: Prime minister is chosen and controlled by the legislative branch.
Unitary
Power lies in the hands of a single central agency
Example: great britain
Federal
Power is shared equally by the central and the local agencies.
Example: USA
