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Bell ringer • “ The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but cannot do, at all, or can not so well do, for themselves – in their separate, and individual capacities. In all that people can individually do for themselves, government ought not to interfere.” – Abraham Lincoln, 1854 • Have popular attitudes toward government changed since Lincolns time? Why or why not?
Formation of Governments Chapter 1 Section 2
Vocab • Unitary system • Federal system • Confederacy • Constitution • Constitutional government • Preamble • Constitutional law • Politics • Industrialized nation • Developing nation • Goal • Amend • benefit
Government Systems • Unitary system – gives all key powers to the central government (Italy, France, Great Britain) • Federal system – divides powers of government between national and state • Confederacy – loose union of independent states
Constitutions and Government • Constitution – plan that provides the rules for government • Purposes of : • Sets out ideals that the people share and believe in • Establishes structure, powers and duties • Provides supreme law for the country
Constitutions • May be written or unwritten – but are written in modern states • Constitutional government – government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on power • What might happen if a country does not have a written constitution?
Incomplete Guides • Constitutions are incomplete for two reasons: • Laws, customs, and ideas change • (FDR was elected four times because at the time it was custom, not law, to serve two terms) • Does not always reflect government practice • (People’s Republic of China)
Goals and Framework • Preamble – sets forth the goals and purposes of the government • The body of a constitution sets up the plan for the government, along with the procedure for amending or changing it • Divided into parts called articles and sections (US constitution has 7 articles and 21 sections)
Highest Law • The constitution is the supreme law for a state • Constitutional law – studies questions on how to interpret the Constitution
Politics and Government • Politics – the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government • Benefits – something that adds to or aids • Politics is important but the framers feared special interests would hinder the government.
Governing in a Complex World • Industrialized nations – have large industries and advanced technology to provide a comfortable life (US, Australia, Japan) • Developing nations – nations only beginning to develop industrially (many African states, Southeast Asia)
International Organizations • National liberation organizations (IRA) • Terrorist organizations (Al Qaeda) • Multinational Corporations (GM, BP) • Organizations of world states (WTO) • Nongovernmental organizations (Doctors Without Boarders)
Characteristics of Democracy • Open to page 21 • Copy down all the non italic red headings under Characteristics of Democracy and Essential Elements for Democracy