1. Principles of Government
Essential Features of a State
(Defined as a political community)
A. Population that share a consensus of shared values.
B. Territory: An area with fixed boundaries.
C. Sovereignty, or absolute authority, within its territorial boundaries.
D. A government which maintains order, provides public services, and enforce decisions that its people must obey.

2. ORIGINS OF THE STATE
Aristotle, philosopher of ancient Greece, study the city-states of Greece.
State (Country): Identifies a political community, that occupies a territory.
Nation: any sizable group of people who are united by a common bonds of language, customs, traditions and sometime race & religion.
Nation-state is used interchangeably with country.

3. Theories of the Origin of the State
Evolutionary Theory: head of the family had authority to make rules and govern.
Force Theory: government emerges when one person or group bring other people under there control.
Divine Right Theory: God has chosen certain people to rule (monarchs)
Social Contract Theory: Thomas Hobbs people surrendered power to the state for order & protection. John Locke, believed peopled are endowed with the right of “life, liberty and property” and the state enforced the laws equally.

4. Principles of Government, cont
III. The Purposes of Government 1. maintain social order by making and enforcing laws. 2. provide essential services for people, such as promoting public health and safety. 3. protect people from attack by other states and from internal threats such as terrorism. 4. Makes economic decisions to provide opportunities to its citizens.(currency, banking, work place safety, overtime, etc.)