1. Foundations of American Government
Chapter 1

2. GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE
Section 1
GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE

3. What is government?
The institution (structure) through which society makes and enforces public policy.
What basic powers are held by every government?
Legislative, Executive, Judicial
Normally outlined in a constitution

4. Who’s got the Power?? Dictatorship Democracy
Power is ultimately held by single person or small group
Rulers are not responsible to the will of the people
Democracy
Power ultimately held by majority of people
Rulers are responsible to will of the people

5. What do all of these have in common??????

6. Characteristics of a State

7. Territory

8. Montana and Washington border with Canada

9. Niagara Falls (New York and Canada)

10. U.S. border and Mexico

11. The Great Wall of China

12. Berlin Wall

13. Berlin Wall (1989 to present)

14. Sovereignty

15. Government

16. Origins of the State (Major Political Ideas)
Force Theory
One person or small group takes control
Evolutionary Theory
Evolved naturally out of first families
Divine Right Theory
God given, or higher power given
Social Contract Theory
Result of free choice of people

17. 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 defence, 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.”

18. Section 2
TYPES of GOVERNMENT

19. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE GOVERNING PROCESS???

20. Where is the power?
UNITARY
CONFEDERATE
FEDERAL

21. UNITARY Definition: One central government controls weaker states.
Power is not shared between states, counties, or provinces.
Local governments only have power given from central government.
Examples: China, Great Britian

22. FEDERAL
Definition: Power is shared by a powerful central government and states or provinces that are given considerable self-rule, usually through their own legislatures.
Examples: The United States, Australia, the Federal Republic of Germany.

23. CONFEDERATION
Definition: A weak or loose organization of states agrees to follow a powerful central government. Nations can choose to follow or not follow the lead of the weak central government.
Examples: The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), formerly known as the Soviet Union. Also, Switzerland's canton system and the Confederate States of America ( )

24. What is the relationship between the legislative and executive branches?
Presidential
3 branches (separate powers)
Single leader (in Executive Branch)
Separate from other leaders
Parlimentary
Prime minister and Cabinet officials (in Legislative Branch)
Stay in office as long as parliament (legislative) supports them

25. Presidential vs. Parliamentary

26. Who holds the power? DEMOCRACY DICTATORSHIP
Supreme political authority rests with the people
Rulers responsible to will of the people
DICTATORSHIP
Supreme political power lies in the hands of one person or small group
Rulers not responsible to will of the people

27. DEMOCRACY Direct Indirect ALL have equal say Majority rules
Town hall meetings
Indirect
“representative democracy”
Smart move by the Founding Fathers!

28. DICTATORSHIP
Autocracy = single person holds unlimited political power.
Oligarchy = power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed group of the elite
ALL are authoritarian – absolute and unchangeable authority over people.
MOST are totalitarian – complete power of every aspect of human affairs
(Nazi Germany, Italy, Russia, China)
People may be able to vote, but it is controlled and there is only one party to vote for.
Also, very militaristic in nature.

29. MONARCHY
OLIGARCHY
ARISTOCRACY
Hereditary rulers (king and queen)
Absolute power
England
Small group, high levels of wealth, social, military status
South Africa – based on race (reverse what we think in America)
Saudi Arabia
North Korea
Jocks in school?
Ruled by privileged few
Ancient Greece
(no current country)

30. Influence on Founding Fathers
Aristotle : “society should be governed by certain ethical principles”
The Age of Enlightenment
John Locke
Government formed to protect property and protect the common good
In nature – right or wrong defined by each individual
People give up perfect freedom
People enter freely into government (consent of the governed)
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Social Contract Theory
Naturally free, give consent to be governed, if government breaks the contract by acting inappropriately , people has a right and duty to revolt

31. B-A-L-A-N-C-E
Democracy based on the combination of the Social Contract Theory and Natural Law
set up to avoid leaving little or no consent of the people

32. FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY
Section 3
FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY

33. Foundations of Democracy
Recognition of the fundamental worth and dignity of every person
(2) Respect for the equality of all persons
(3) Faith in majority rule and an insistence upon minority rights
(4) Acceptance of the necessity of compromise
(5) Insistence upon the widest possible degree of individual freedom

34. Democracy and the Free Enterprise System
Free enterprise system = an economic system characterized by private businesses that make their own decision on investments and are determined in a free market
4 factors – private ownership, individual initiative, profit, competition
Decisions determined by the law of supply and demand
Mixed economy = economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion

35. Democracy and the Internet
People need to be informed about their government
In theory, the Internet makes knowledgeable participation in democratic process easier than ever before
All data on the World Wide Web is not necessarily true
Long-term effects of the Internet on democracy has yet to be determined