1 / 8

The Basics of Government

The Basics of Government. US History Mr. Szyzdek. Famous Quotes. "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.“ Thomas Paine

ninon
Download Presentation

The Basics of Government

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Basics of Government US History Mr. Szyzdek

  2. Famous Quotes • "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.“ Thomas Paine • “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...”- Thomas Jefferson • “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”- Edward R. Murrow • "For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.“ Jonathan Swift • “A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against its government.”-Edward Abbey

  3. What is Government? • A government is a body that has the power to make and the authority to enforce rules and laws. • There are a variety of different systems of government. • Most people believe that govt. should serve the people, but to what extent is up for debate.

  4. Authoritative Systems • In Authoritarian systems, one person/family has complete control over the government. • Monarchiesare led by kings or emperors…power is passed down through family (hereditary). • Dictatorships are led by one powerful ruler, such as Adolf Hitler of Germany or Kim Jong Il of North Korea. • Authoritarian leaders are above the law. • Freedom is very limited in authoritarian systems since one person has all the power.

  5. Democratic Systems • In Democratic systems, citizens have the right to choose their leaders (or to become leaders themselves.) • Direct Democracy- citizens vote directly on issues. • Representative Democracy- citizens elect others to govern for them (this is what we have in the USA) • In a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, • Freedom of its citizens is secured by rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution.

  6. Other Types of Government • Theocracy- a government led by a religious leader. • Oligarchy- a government ruled by an elite few. • Anarchy- The absence of government; a state of lawlessness; political disorder.

  7. Levels of Our Government • National govt. (USA) deals with issues related to the entire country (defense, printing of $, taxes) • Regional govt. (Illinois) deals with state issues (schools, state laws, state taxes) • Local govt. (Chicago) deals with local issues (streets, sanitation, police)

  8. Questions for Reflection • Do you think more or less government is needed to solve the problems you face? • What seems like the fairest type of government? Why? • Some say government is a necessary evil…do you agree?

More Related