What good is a government?

What’s in a Government? Look up the definitions for government in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Give the 3 definitions: 1) A group of people who make decisions for a country, state, etc. 2) a particular system for controlling a country, state… 3) a system of rule or administration The process or manner of controlling a state or government

So what is a state? The 4 features of a political state are: Population-to be a state, you have to have people. Sorry, Antarctica. Established territory with set boundaries. For example, the Kurdish people want to establish Kurdistan in northern Iraq, but that land belongs to Iraq. They have a government, are self-ruling, and have a population, but they don’t have their own territory (it belongs to Iraq), so they are NOT a state. Sovereignty-to be a state, you have to rule yourself. You make and enforce your own laws without approval from any other authority. You have a government-there has to be some kind of system that establishes and enforces laws.

What is the difference between a state and a nation? A state meets all of the requirements listed before. We often call these countries. A nation is a large group of people who believe themselves united by common bounds of race, beliefs, language, customs, traditions, or religion. The Hebrew Nation is not a country, but a group of people united by bonds of language, culture, and religion. A nation-state is a political unit that has all 4 of the characteristics of a state and also believes itself to be united by common cultural, racial, or linguistic bonds. Is the United States a state, nation, or nation-state? Explain your answer.

How did states come to exist in human history? Ancient mankind did not have states. So how did they come to exist? There are 4 theories about the origin of states: Evolutionary theory- state naturally evolved from the family structure. Extended families lived to together in bands and followed the lead of family authorities, which gradually expanded into formal states. Force theory- the belief that states were initially formed because people were forced to work together cooperatively in order to defend themselves against common enemies. Divine Right theory- the idea that certain people are chosen by God to rule. Very popular over history (Egypt, China, France…) Social Contract theory- the idea that states exist due to an agreement (social contract) between the governed and the government. Thomas Hobbes’ version-life is naturally “nasty, brutish, and short,” so people agreed to give up their individual power and freedom in order to gain security and order from the state. John Locke’s version- people are born with certain natural rights-life, liberty, and property-and the state exists because people create it in order to protect those rights. Those theories are very different. Why does it matter?

What purpose do state governments serve? What is a government good for? Brainstorm all of the things that the government does for you. Read “A Day in the Life” and add to your brainstorm list as you find additional things that the government does for you.

Read the preamble to the US Constitution and determine the six PURPOSES of government. We the people of the United States of America, 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 six purposes?

What have you done for me lately What have you done for me lately? Look at your brainstorm lists and put those items under the appropriate category. To form a more perfect union. Establish justice. Insure domestic tranquility. Common defense. General Welfare. Secure the blessings of liberty.

So, we know what good governments are supposed to do So, we know what good governments are supposed to do. Do they all do it the same way? No! There are two main FORMS of government (not types, but structures). Unitary System Federal System All political power is held by a central government. Other levels of government can exist, but they are created BY the central power. This does not mean it has to be a dictatorship. Power of governments can be limited by a constitution. UK, Italy, and France are parliamentary democracies with a unitary system. Powers of government divided between a national and a state/provincial government. Each level of government has sovereignty over specific parts of the government.

What sets up the government? Like most Western traditions, we get the idea of a constitution (written rules that set up a government) from the Greeks. Aristotle first identified the concept of a constitution as he was writing his treatise on Greek governments. Constitutions LIMIT the power of the government. Although almost all formal governments have a constitution-a written plan of government-not all constitutions are created equal. For example-China has a written constitution, but it does not limit the power of the central government, so it does NOT have a constitutional government.

Why? Why would Great Britain develop a Unitarian system of government, yet the Thirteen British colonies chose to adopt a Federal System when they became independent?