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Section 1: Government and the State I. What is Government?

Section 1: Government and the State I. What is Government? A. Government - the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies B. Public Policies - those things a government decides to do C. Three kinds of power

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Section 1: Government and the State I. What is Government?

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  1. Section 1: Government and the State I. What is Government? A. Government- the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies B. Public Policies - those things a government decides to do C. Three kinds of power 1. legislative power - the power to make laws and to frame public policies 2. executive power - the power to execute, enforce, and administer law

  2. 3. judicial power - the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning and to settle disputes D. Constitution - the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures and processes of a government 1. the purpose of our government can be found in the Preamble to the US Constitution E. Politics- the process by which a society decides how power and resources will be distributed within that society

  3. U.S. Constitution

  4. Preamble to the Constitution We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

  5. Capitol Building in D.C.

  6. Legislative Branch

  7. Executive Branch

  8. Judicial Branch

  9. 4 things a State must have to be a state • Population

  10. II. The State A. Population 1. a state must have people 2. least populated state? - Vatican - less than a 1,000 people 3. World's most populous state? - China - 1.3 billion people 4. United States is third most populous state - 305 million people 5. people may or may not be homogenous

  11. 4 things a State must have to be a state • Territory

  12. B. Territory 1. recognized boundaries 2. Smallest state? - Vatican - less than a quarter of a square mile 3. World's largest state? - Russia - 6.6 million square miles 4. United States has 3,787,425 square miles (third largest in the world)

  13. 4 things a State must have to be a state • Sovereignty

  14. C. Sovereignty • 1. has supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and • domestic policies • 2. the only characteristic that distinguishes a state from a lesser political unit • Colonies, American States, Provinces

  15. 4 things a State must have to be a state • Government

  16. D. Government 1. necessary to avoid chaos and confusion 2. can be a republic, democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, parliment

  17. Make Your Own State • In groups of 2/3/4, use the 4 pieces of criteria to make a state. • Make sure you have a name for your state. • Have answers to the 4 criteria for a state. • Does your state have any laws that would make it unique • Also, discuss various aspects about a state such as gender make-up, location, ect. • Country must have a flag and a motto

  18. The Origins of a State

  19. III. Origins of the State – 4 theories A. Force Theory – when a person or group of people claim control of an area and force the people in that area to their rule B. Evolutionary Theory – developed naturally out of the family

  20. III. Origins of the State – 4 theories C. Divine Right Theory – the right to rule came directly from God's consent D. Social ContractTheory – people give up rights to the government for certain services; a voluntary act of free people

  21. Social Contract 1. Thomas Hobbes a. claimed without authority there is chaos b. people do not* have the right to break the agreement c. believed the best form of government was monarchy

  22. Social Contract 2. John Locke a. people are born with natural rights b. the people have*the right to overthrow an unjust government

  23. Section 2: Forms of Government I. Who Can Participate? A. Democracy - 2 Types 1. the people hold the sovereign power 2. direct democracy a. will of the people is made into public policy directly by the people themselves in mass meetings b. can only work in small communities

  24. Town Hall Meeting

  25. 3. indirectdemocracy (representative) a. the people elect representatives and give them the power to conduct the daily activities of government and make laws b. representatives are responsible to the people and are held accountable for their conduct at periodic elections 4. republic – the people hold sovereign power

  26. What is the Difference between a Democracy and a Republic?

  27. What is the United States?

  28. B. Dictatorship 1. those who rule are not held responsible to the will of the people - authoritarian 2. autocracy - rule by one a. only a few in existence today - Libya, Saudi Arabia 3. oligarchy- power is held by a small, usually self- appointed elite

  29. 4. most dictatorial regimes are militaristic 5. some dictatorships will hold elections that are closely monitored with candidates from only one political party 6. an elected legislature may exist, but it is controlled by the dictator

  30. Worlds Worst Dictators (2009) • Muammar Qaddafi – Libya – 2010 • Robert Mugabe – Zimbabwe – 1980 • Omar al-Bashir – Sudan – 1989 • Kim Jong-ll – North Korea – 1994 • Thon Shwe – Burma – 1992

  31. II. What is the Geographic Distribution of Power? A. UnitaryGovernment 1. all power rests with the national government (most governmentsin the world) 2. could be a democracy - like Great Britain 3. local governments may exist, but the national government could dismiss them at any time

  32. B. FederalGovernment 1. power is divided between the nationaland local levels a. cannot be changed by the local or national governments acting alone 2. there are only about 25-30 states with this type of government a. United States, Canada and Mexico* are examples b. the US National Government is centered in Washington D.C., but each of the 50 states has their own government that cannot be dismissed at the national level

  33. C. Confederate Government 1. an alliance of states in which the confederate government handles issues that the member states assigns it 2. allows different states to cooperate yet maintain their own identities 3. the European Union is the closest example of a confederacy today

  34. III. What is the Relationship Between Legislative and Executive Branches? A. PresidentialGovernment 1. the legislative and executive branches are independent and coequal to one another a. voterschoose who is in the legislative branch b. voterschoose who is in the executive branch and the chief executive 2. the two branches have powers that can block each other 3. the U.S. is the leading example Voters Legislative Executive

  35. B. Parliamentary Government 1. the chief executive (prime minister or premier) and his cabinet are part of the legislative branch a. voterschoose the legislative branch (parliament) b. parliamentchooses the chief executive and his cabinet (often called "the government" and are from the majority party) Executive Branch Voters Legislative Branch

  36. 2. if the parliament defeats the prime minister and his cabinet on an important issue, the government may receive a "vote of no confidence" a. usually all seats in parliament go before the voters in general election 3. avoids deadlock between the executive and legislative, but there is no system of checks and balances 4. majorityof governments in the world are parliamentary governments a. Britain, Canada, Japan

  37. Foundations of a Government The things we believe in.

  38. I. Foundations A. Worth of the Individual 1. often we are required to do things we don't want to for the good of the many 2. but the many are the individuals that make up a society B. Equality of All Persons 1. "all men are created equal" 2. equality of opportunity 3. equality before the law 4. no person should be held back because of race, color, religion, or gender

  39. C. Majority Rule, Minority Rights 1. democracy argues that a majority of the people will be right more often than they'll be wrong a. they don't always come up with the "best" or "right" answers, but will at least come up with a satisfactory answer 2. a majority can crush its opposition, so it is restrained by the minority's rights a. there are certain rights that can never be taken away 3. the majority needs to recognize the right of any minority to become the new majority

  40. D. Necessity of Compromise 1. democracy insists that everyone is equal a. with a society that is made up of many different opinions and interests, how can the people make public decisions without compromise 2. most public questions can be answered several different ways E. Individual Freedom 1. cannot have absolute freedoms 2. need to find a balance between freedoms of the individual and the rights of society

  41. Democracy and the Economy

  42. II. Democracy and the Free Enterprise System A. How the System Works 1. free enterprise - characterized by the private ownership of capital goods, investments made by private decision, and success or failure determined by competition in the market place 2. law of supply and demand – if the people demand something, the manufacturers will produce it B. Government and the Free Enterprise System 1. mixed economy- an economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion

  43. Government Regulation? Ford Escape Hybrid Honda Civic Hybrid GMC Tahoe Hybrid

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