Government Every society has a political system - a system of government. government influences our lives daily. From speed limits to taxes, government touches almost every aspect of our lives. No matter what the type, all political systems are organized to achieve the same goal – Who should govern?

Decision Making Political power is basically the power to make and implement the decisions for a society There are three main types of political power. Authority: is the formal exercise of power. People voluntarily comply because government is seen to have the right to make decisions. Influence: is the power of persuasion. People comply with decisions because they have been convinced to by government’s effective use of reason or emotional appeal Coercion: is the power to impose negative consequences. People comply with decisions because of government’s ability to punish noncompliance.

Political systems and governments vary sharply in the degree to which they use one type of power or another in the process of making and implementing decisions. The widest variation occurs in the use of coercion. When you compare democracies and dictatorships, you see a heavy reliance on the use of force by dictatorships. Not only do they use force routinely, by dictatorships use force of a greater degree In dictatorships the government’s use of violence against its people is limited only by technology or manpower .

Constitution – Rule Book A set of rules used to govern In democracies the government’s use of coercion is limited by a constitution. A constitution is a document that clearly defines the rules by which a society is to be governed. When a society is built on democratic principle, the purpose of the constitution is to guarantee the rule of laws rather than be than rule by the people. Laws are meant to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals from other individuals and from government.

The decisions taken by government are communicated to its people as a network of laws, rules, and regulations. One of the most important functions of constitution is to identify who has the power to make, interpret, and enforce laws. This power is shared by the three branches of government.

Legislative - power to make laws Legislative - power to make laws. The legislature is composed of individuals chose to represent the wishes of the people. Executive - power to enforce laws. The executive may also propose legislation as well as implementing the decisions (laws) made by the legislature. Judicial - power to interpret laws. As a part of the political system, it is the role of the judiciary to ensure that individuals and governments alike follow the rules agreed upon for governing society.

Montesquieu In democracies, political power is shared fairly evenly by the legislature, executive, and judiciary. Although the most significant power rests with the legislature, the other two branches of government hold very real power This division of power is designed to ensure that no one branch of government becomes too powerful. Each branch acts to check and balance the powers of the others. Therefore, political power is decentralized throughout the branches and levels of government. The French Philosopher: According to Montesquieu, each branch of government could limit the power of the other two branches. ... His ideas about separation of powers became the basis for the United States Constitution. Despite Montesquieu's belief in the principles of a democracy, he did not feel that all people were equal.

Democracies Power To enforce laws To interpret laws To make laws Legislature Executive Judiciary

Canada’s Parliment

Structure of Canada’s Government