Government and the State What is Government? How did it evolve? What is its purpose?

Intro to Government: Theories of Origins

Government Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. Made up of people who have authority and control over and/or with other people depending upon its structure.

Public Policies All of those things a government decides to do. Health care Transportation National defense Taxation Education Civil rights Working conditions Business practices

It’s History Government is one of the oldest human inventions. How do you think it came about? Why do you think it came about? Earliest known form of government was in Egypt in 6th Century B.C.

Political Philosophy Begins with Plato’s Republic in the early Greek city-state of Athens. Aristotle (Politics) was his pupil (and counselor to Alexander the Great) who advocated a different form of government than his mentor. “Man is by nature a political animal.”

The State A body of living people, living in a defined territory, organized politically – that is, with a government – and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.

The State Population Defined territory Sovereignty Government Self-control Government

Origins of the State For centuries historians, political scientists, philosophers, and others have pondered the question of the origin of the state. What brought it into being???? Many different views… Force, Evolutionary, Divine Right, Social Contract.

The Force Theory Many argue that one group claimed control over an area and forced all within it to submit to that person’s or group’s rule. Use of violence and fear to maintain “order”. Once rule was established, population, territory, sovereignty, and government were present.

The Evolutionary Theory Some claim that the state developed naturally out of the early family. What does this mean???

Evolutionary Theory In the primitive family, one person (the man usually) was the head and thus the “government.” Soon families formed networks of families and formed a clan, then tribe, and various alliances. These tribes were highly egalitarian with very little discrepancies in wealth or power. Once they “gave up” their nomadic ways and learned to farm, the state was born.

The Divine Right Theory Mostly held from 15th Century to the 18 Century in Western Europe. What was the theory???

Divine Right Theory Held that the state was created by God, 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. Opposition to this was treason and a mortal sin. China, Japan, Egypt, Aztecs, Mayans

The Social Contract Theory Created by philosophers John Locke, James Harrington, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. What is the Social Contract???

The Social Contract Hobbes wrote that in earliest history humans lived in a “state of nature” – no government existed. That which people could take by force belonged to them – no superior power to stop them.

Social Contract Hobbes stated that human life, in a state of nature, was: “that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man”.” “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Therefore, human beings overcome their unpleasant condition by agreeing with one another to create a state. They do this only because of “a common power to keep them all in awe…” The Leviathan

Social Contract Since no authority existed to protect individuals from violent actions of another Individuals were only as safe as their individual prowess could make them.

Social Contract Agreed to give to the state as much power as was needed to promote the well-being of all (contract = constitution). Members of the state created a government to exercise the powers they had granted the state.

Social Contract Therefore, under the social contract theory, the state only exists to serve the will of the people. People are the sole source of power, and that they are free to give or to withhold that power as they choose. Immensely important to the founding of the American government.

Mini Debate Force Evolution Divine Right Social Contract In a well thought out paragraph, create a logical argument in favor of which theory you believe is most accurate. It will be collected after the “debate”.