American Government Chapter 1: Notes

Government and the State Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. Public policies cover: taxation, defense, education, crime, healthcare, civil rights, working conditions, transportation…just to name a few. Government is among the oldest of all human inventions. The earliest evidence of government was in Egypt. Politics and government DO NOT mean the same thing – politics is a process, while government is an institution.

The State The state is the dominant political unit of the world. The state can be defined as a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically (with a government), and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of a higher authority. There are more than 190 states in the world today. They vary in size, military power, natural resources, and economic strength; however, they all have 4 common characteristics – population, territory, sovereignty, and government. State is also referred to as a nation or a country.

Origins of the State Divine Right Theory – this theory was accepted in much of the Western world from the 15th through the 18th centuries. It held that God created the state and that God had given those of royal birth a ‘divine right’ to rule. The people were bound to obey their ruler as they would God, and opposition to the divine right of kings was both treason and a mortal sin. Most of modern day democratic government thought began as a challenge to the theory of divine right.

Origins of the State Hobbes wrote that the earliest history of humans lived in a state of nature in which no government existed and no one was subject to a superior power. Individuals were only as safe as their own physical strength and intelligence could make them. Under Social Contract Theory, humans overcame their unpleasant conditions by agreeing with one another to create a state. By contract, people within a given area agreed to give up to the state as much power as was needed to promote the safety and well-being of all. In short, the Social Contract Theory argues that the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people. The state exists only to serve the will of the people, and that the people are the source of political power, and that the people are free to give or to withhold that power as they choose.

Basic Forms of Government Unitary – a centralized government. All powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. The central government creates local units of government. The local units of government only have powers that the central government chooses to give to them. Most governments in the world are unitary Great Britain is the classic example – the central agency is Parliament, and the Parliament holds all of the government’s power; however, Parliament has created local governments to make things run more smoothly.

Basic Forms of Government Federal Government – the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. In the U.S., the national government has certain powers and the states have other powers. Other countries: Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Mexico, Germany, India Confederate Government – an alliance of independent states. The central government only handles matters that the member states assign to it. Typically a confederate government has limited powers that have to do with defense or commerce. Very rare – European Union is the best example – they have a common currency, have free trade with other EU countries

Presidential vs. Parliamentary Presidential – the executive and legislative branches of government are separate, independent of one another, and coequal. There are separation of powers between the branches of government The U.S. is the best example of a presidential government The president , chief executive, is chosen independently of the legislative branch Parliamentary – the executive branch is made up of the prime minister and his/her cabinet. The prime minister and cabinet themselves are members of the legislative branch, the Parliament. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party The prime minister selects cabinet members from members of Parliament.