Modern Democratic Principles and Other Systems of Government

Question 1

What are the main roles of government?

Answer 1

Traditional roles:
~ security: improve public safety, provide a level of internal+external security individuals can’t achieve
~ settling disputes: provide avenues of dispute settlement
~ infrastructure
Modern growth of functions
~ economic management: in the interest of greater growth, ⬆️employment, ⬇️inflation
~ social security*
~ health: hospitals, public health insurance and campaigns
~ education: primary, secondary, tertiary
~ communications i.e. NBN
~ transport: road, rail, ports, airports
~ environment
*redistribution of income

Question 2

What are the characteristics of a good government?

Answer 2

Democracy is basis of good govt.

• first be based on the concept of individual freedom
• representative: reflect the backgrounds+interests of their citizens
• participatory: involve people in the decisions that affect their lives
• accountable: people must have the ability to dismiss leaders who misuse their power

Question 2

What is the separation of powers?

Answer 2

The division of government into three independent branches. Each ranch has its own powers.
It is a major difference between democratic and non democratic systems

Question 4

Three functions/arms of government in Australia

Answer 4

Legislative - creating and modify law
~ Parliament, delegated legislation, courts
Executive - administration (powers and structures required to ensure a law is carried out)
~ Cabinet (State and Federal)
~ police, public service, public agencies
Judicial - resolve legal disputes, determine penalties and interpretation of laws
~ Courts
***as well as their central function, the 3 arms of govt. also perform a checking function on the other arms of govt.

Question 5

What is the legislative function in Australia?

Answer 5

Legislative
➡️creating and modifying laws
~ statutes (acts of parliament)- sovereign law
~ delegated legislation
~ judge made law- common law and statutory interpretation

Question 6

What is the executive function in Australia?

Answer 6

Executive
➡️administration, covers the powers and structures required to ensure the law is carried out
~ chief executive is Cabinet
~ police, public service and other public agencies

Question 7

What is the judicial function in Australia?

Answer 7

Judicial
➡️to resolve legal dispute, determine penalties and interpret laws
~ carried out by courts

Question 8

What are the key features of a democratic government?

Answer 8

~ based on the concept of individual freedom
~ representative, participatory, accountable (separation of powers)
Also have
~ free and fair elections
~ representative parliaments
~ accountable executive
~ open participation
~ just and equitable legal system

Question 9

Necessary features of a democracy and free society:

Answer 9

~ free and fair elections
~ representative parliaments
~ accountable executive
~ open participation
~ just and equitable legal system

Question 10

Types of democratic government systems:

Answer 10

~ direct democracy

~ representative democracy

Question 11

Types of non democratic government systems

Answer 11

~ absolute monarchies
~ aristocracy, oligarchy, plutocracy
~ dictatorship- authoritarian, totalitarian- fascist, communist
~ theocracy

Question 12

What is a democracy?

Answer 12

Political and legal system that is based upon the rule of the will of the people

Question 13

What is a direct democracy?

Answer 13

Involved citizens voting on all aspects of legislation and society i.e. Ancient Greece- Athens
It is not considered practical for large nation states

Question 14

What is a representative democracy?

Answer 14

Citizens elect representatives on their behalf to make decisions for a specified period of time

Question 15

What are liberal democracies?

Answer 15

Modern democracies- they are based on individual freedom and rights. Government must be freely chosen, representative of the people and accountable to the people. Everyone must have access to just legal procedures

Question 16

What is typically a non democratic system?

Answer 16

A political and legal system that is based on the views of elites and powerful minorities

Question 17

What is an absolute monarchy?

Answer 17

Traditional form of govt. in pre-modern times. All legal power rests in the decisions of an unelected monarch who held office on the basis of hereditary entitlement

Question 18

What is aristocracy?

Answer 18

Political and legal power held by an elite section of society (aristocrats) i.e. France pre French Revolution

Question 19

What is oligarchy and plutocracy?

Answer 19

Oligarchy- modern form of aristocracy. Power is held by a few powerful elites i.e. South America countries a
Plutocracy- power is held by wealthy elites

Question 20

What is autocracy?

Answer 20

Legal power is exercised by an autocrat who unilaterally decides the laws and social direction of that country i.e. Zimbabwe with Robert Mugabe

Question 21

What is a dictatorship?

Answer 21

Unelected leaders with significant powers to impose their will on society. There are two types; authoritarian and totalitarian

Question 22

What is an authoritarian dictatorship?

Answer 22

Authoritarian rulers have total control of political and legal power and use violence to maintain control i.e. Zimbabwe, Italy under Mussolini

Question 23

What is a totalitarian dictatorship?

Answer 23

Totalitarian rulers enforce absolute obedience and seek to create absolute social control over all citizens i.e. Germany with Hitler, Soviet Union with Stalin, China with Mao Zedong, present day North Korea
Two main types- fascist and communist

Question 24

What is a fascist totalitarian system of governance?

Answer 24

~ believe all disunity is a source of national weakness, they suppress any group who opposes them/different to national ideal.
~ only a single leader can express the will of the people and the good of the nation
i.e. Nazi Germany

Question 25

What is a totalitarian communist system of governance?

Answer 25

~ seek total control over the people to revolutionise and transform society
~ abolish all social and economics differences to create absolute equality
i.e. Soviet Union under Stalin, China under Mao Zedong, Cambodia