Principles of Government Chapter 1

Government and the State Chapter 1 Section 1

What is government? The institution through which society makes and enforces it public policy

Public policies are the things that government decides to do policy examples are taxation, defense, education, crime, health care and transportation the list of topics would be almost endless

Every government has 3 kinds of basic powers that they exercise. legislative power – the ability to make laws and frame public policies executive power – the power to execute, enforce, and administer law

judicial power – the ability to interpret laws and settle deputes through their use These powers are often outlined in the Constitution.

The Constitution is the body of laws that sets out the government’s:  structure  principle  processes

In a dictatorship one person may exercise all of the powers of government. In a democracy, the supreme power over government rests with the people.

Government is among the oldest of all human inventions. The earliest evidence of government comes from ancient Egypt, several thousand years ago. 2,300 years ago, Greek philosopher Aristotle noted “man is by nature a political animal.”

Politics is the process by which government is conducted. It is the process by which power and resources are divided in society. It is a give-and-take process among humans to formulate how government proceeds.

The State The world’s dominant political unit is the state. A state is a body of people living in a defined territory. A state is often called a nation.

The population of a state has nothing to do with its existence as a state. The word nation is an ethnic term. The word country is a geographic term.

A state must have territory and people to exist. The territory of a state can be very small, such as San Marino, existing on 24 square miles. Or the state may be as large as Russia, which has 6.6 million square miles

The size of a state obviously affects different qualities, such as its economy. Every state has a sovereign government. Sovereignty means that it has sole, or absolute, power over its territory and people.

Every state is politically organized. Every state must have a government so it can exist as a state. Natural law would determine how humans would live without government.

Government supplies the rules that organize how people function as a state. It is government that keeps a state from chaos.

Major Political Ideas For centuries, humans have pondered about the origin of states. The Force Theory says that states are born of force.

It says that a person or people held an area by force to begin a state. The Evolutionary Theory says that states are a natural result of family. In a family unit one person is the leader and this defines government.

The Divine Right Theory says that God created the state. This theory accounts for royalty ruling a country through “divine birth.” Royalty therefore has the “divine right” to rule others.

The Social Contract Theory says that humans originally lived with unbridled freedom. By agreeing with each other, or a contract, they agreed to give this up to the state. States, then, arose out of the voluntary acts of people.

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution describes the goals of the U.S. government. It states that the states should form a more perfect union.

A more perfect union means:  keeping the states working together in harmony.  establishing justice.  ensuring domestic tranquility (keeping order).  providing for a common defense.  promoting the general welfare.  securing the blessings of liberty.

This graphic shows the basic structure of U.S. Government.