Civics Flashcards
Political Science
Study of:
Different governments, their structures and functions
Political theory and ways theory is put into action
How nations interact with each other
Political cultures and values (freedom power, justice, equality, etc.)
Also encompasses elements of other disciplines - history, sociology, anthropology, and economics
4 Major Purposes of Government
Ensure national security, Provide public services, Ensure social order, Make decisions about the economy
4 Theories of the Origins of the State
Evolutionary, Force, Divine Right, Social Contract
Evolutionary (state formation)
The structures of the state evolved from the family, with the head of state taking the role of matriarch or patriarch of the family
Force (state formation)
One person or group brings everyone in an area under their control
Divine Right (state formation)
Certain people are chosen by the accepted deity to be the rulers of a nation. The nation itself is also considered to be created by the deity.
Social Contract (state formation)
People allow themselves to be governed in order to maintain the social order, while in turn the state promises to protect the people it governs. If the government does not serve its people, they have the right to institute a new government.
Aristotle and Plato
Believed political science can create a scientifically organized order in politics, resulting in stable, just societies
Thomas Aquinas
Adapted the ideas of Aristotle to a Christian perspective. He said that individuals have both rights and duties, and these should determine the extent of government rule. Laws should limit the role of government. Laid the groundwork for what would become modern constitutionalism.
Niccolo Machiavelli
Wrote The Prince - theorized a form of politics based solely on power
Thomas Hobbes
Wrote Leviathan (1651), believed that individuals are focused on self - interest and acquiring power, and government must control this urge. Felt that people are unable to live harmoniously together without government intervention.
John Locke
Two Treatises of Civil Government (1690). Argued against Thomas Hobbes. Tabula Rasa - the idea that a person’s mind is a blank slate at birth, and experience molds minds. Believed all men are essentially good, independent, and equal. Many of his ideas, are in the US Constitution.
Montesquie and Rousseau
Heavily influenced the French Revolution (1789 - 1815). They believed government policies should change to help alleviate problems - “liberalism.”
Other important ideas:
- individual freedom and community welfare are both important
-man’s innate goodness leads to harmony in society
- reason develops with the rise of civilized society
- citizens have obligations to their government
Rousseau’s Writings
The Social Contract (1762), Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789), and The Citizen (1789). These writings directly influenced the French Revolution.
Hume and Bentham
Believed the main goal of politics should be to maintain “the greatest happiness of the greatest number.” Hume also believed in empiricism - that ideas must be observed and proven true, and skepticism - that individuals should seek the truth themselves, rather than believing what they are told.
John Stuart Mill
British philosopher and economist. Believed in women’s suffrage, emancipation, labor organizations and farming cooperatives.
Fichter and Hegel
18th Century German philosophers. Supported a form of liberalism ground in socialism and nationalism.
4 Main Political Orientations
Liberal, conservative, moderate, libertarian
Liberal
Believe government should work to increase equality at the expense of some freedoms. Support economic assistance, free education, and other forms of social justice
Conservative
Believes government should be limited in most cases. Puts responsibility on citizens to help one another, rather than creating government enforced solutions. Supports a free - market economic system.
Moderate
Some liberal and some conservative values.
Libertarian
Believe the government’s role is only to protect citizen’s life and liberty. Government should not be involved unless citizens are threatening the rights of others.
Six Principles of Government/the Constitution
Federalism, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, judicial review, checks and balances, limited government
Federalism
Power is divided between federal, state, and local governments