Bell ringer What do you think the term government means?

Lesson 1.1 (Refer to Chapter 1 Section 1 & 2) Government, the State, and Forms of Government

Objectives (Do not copy) Define government and the basic powers every government holds. Describe the four defining characteristics of the state. Identify four theories that attempt to explain the origin of the state. Classify governments according to three sets of characteristics.

What is a government? A government is the intuition which a society makes and enforces its public policies. Each government has and exercises three types of powers: Legislative- the power to make and frame Public Policy. Executive- The power to execute, enforce and administer laws. Judicial- The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society. A Constitution is the body of fundamental laws setting out principles, structures, and processes of a government.

What is a state? A state is synonym for the word for country or nation. A state has four defining characteristics: Population- Must have people, the smallest state has around 27,000 people. Territory- Land that is recognized to belong to that state. Sovereignty- Supreme and total power within its own territory. Government- Be politically organized.

Theories of State There are four theories of the origin of state: The Force Theory- This theory states that the side with the strongest arms (military) will take over and conquer land. The Evolutionary Theory- This theory states that the state developed out of the family. The Devine Right Theory- This theory States that the king was chosen to rule by god and his successor was chosen to rule since he was born to the king. The Social Contract Theory- This theory was created in the 1600s when the Europeans challenged sovereign rulers. Those people were backed up by philosophers that believed the origin of the state was in a social contract.

Types of Governments: Democracy- The will of the majority of the population is carried out. Autocracy- A government in which one person holds all the power. Oligarchy- A government in which a small group of people hold all power. Unitary Government- a system of political organization with a central supreme government which holds the authority over and makes the decisions for subordinate local governments. Federal Government- A system in which, the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments.

Types of Government (Cont) Confederation- A group of independent states come together and form an alliance. Presidential Government- a system of government where a head of government is also head of state and leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch.  Parliamentary Government- a system of government having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature. Dictatorship- All power is held by a single person, and this person cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.

Preamble of the United States 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 defense, 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.

What are the 6 Basic Principles laid out in the Preamble?