Hey! What do you know about this thing called “the state” …?

The state? You mean like Alabama, Texas, Ohio, etc.?

No, no. I mean something bigger than that…

Well, let’s see what this lesson is all about. Maybe it’ll help you out…

OH! Cool…

with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority, The State a body of people, living in a defined space, and with an organization to do this.

The State You can tell from the definition that there are four key features of a state… What are they?

PopulationTerritorySovereigntyGovernment a body of people, living in a defined space, with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority, and with an organization to do this.

Population That’s us! Definition: People who are the members or citizens of a state  The size of the population doesn’t matter  Population has a big influence on the type of government chosen by the state: Is the population rural or urban? What do people do for jobs? Do people get along or disagree on basic issues?

Territory  A state must have set boundaries, but they are not always agreed on.  Boundaries can change in three ways: war – people win or lose territory negotiation – people agree to trade territory purchase – states can buy territory from other states Definition: the area in which a state’s rule applies

WAIT! Where did the word “SOVEREIGNTY” come from? Sovereignty

Sovereignty Don’t worry guys! “Sovereignty” is just a big word that means a state has the ability to rule within its border as it chooses… Remember the definition of “state”? It says, “…with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority…”?

Sovereignty That’s SOVEREIGNTY ! Oh! Ok, cool…

Because of sovereignty…  states can set their own foreign policy and agendas.  states are all equal in theory, but in reality that isn’t always the case. Definition: the ability to rule absolutely within a given territory Sovereignty

Government That’s us! Definition: the organization that makes and enforces the laws  Government has many roles that all involve making public policy, but there are four main ways their governing affects the public… Public policy is the laws and rules that affect the public!

Government That’s us!  Government has many roles that all involve making public policy, but there are four main ways their governing affects the public… Keeping Order Protecting the Country Providing Services Making Economic Decisions Definition: the organization that makes and enforces the laws

So by that definition of state… …the United States is just one big state!

Figure It Out! Is the United States just one big state?  Does it have a population? YESNO  Does it have a territory?  Does it have sovereignty?  Does it have government? YES YES YES NO NO NO

Figure It Out! What about “states” like Connecticut or Georgia? Are they states?  Do they have a population? YESNO  Do they have a territory?  Do they have sovereignty?  Do they have government? YES YES YES NO NO NO

They can’t make laws that go against the U.S. Constitution… They have a higher authority above them!

Let’s take a mini- quiz, kiddos, and see what you learned!

THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN If there are less than 30,000 people it can’t be considered a state.

Monaco has only 27,000 people! Size doesn’t matter! THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

The boundaries of a territory can change.

Can you name the three ways that boundaries change? THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

Sovereignty means that you have to check with someone above you.

Just the opposite! Sovereignty means there is NO ONE above you! THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

Government only exists to keep order and provide security.

What are the four roles that governments have? THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

The 50 states that make up the USA are not considered independent states internationally.

That’s right! They don’t have full sovereignty! THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

Who Rules? Forms of Government

When people decide to form the social contracts that we call governments, they make many different decisions about how their government will look. President or King? Rule by few or rule by all? Hold elections? Where do the rulers get their power?

Democracy Any form of government in which political power is exercised by all citizens, either directly or through their elected representatives. There are two kinds of Democracies … Direct! Republic!

Direct Democracy  All citizens participate in government.  All citizens can create public policy if they want to.  Example: In ancient Athens, Greece, they held assemblies where citizens voted to pass laws.  There are no representatives in government: The citizens vote on everything!

Republics  Like direct democracy, all citizens participate in government  People elect representatives who vote on laws for the citizens  Representatives answer to the people through regular elections  Representatives are also usually held accountable by a constitution

Autocracy A form of government in which political power is controlled by one individual such as a monarch, dictator, emperor, etc. We’re going to talk about three kinds of autocracy … Monarchs! Dictators Totalitarians

Monarchy  Rule by kings, queens, princes, and princesses… sometimes by other names, but always MONARCHS!  Leaders usually gain their power because their parents were rulers too.  Some modern monarchies like Spain and Japan have constitutions.  Some countries have constitutional monarchies which function like democracies. The king and queens are “figure-heads” (Great Britain)

Dictatorship  In a dictatorship, power is not inherited, but is acquired by force (military or political)  North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il and Cuba’s Castro are considered dictators

Totalitarian  A totalitarian government  A totalitarian government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion and that exercises total control over many aspects of lifecontrol  Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin exerted this type of control in Germany and the Soviet Union

Oligarchy “Rule by few”  “Rule by few”  Power can be based on several things: Military strength = Military Junta Military strength = Military Junta Family power = Aristocracy Family power = Aristocracy Religious control = Theocratic Oligarchy Religious control = Theocratic Oligarchy  Oligarchies can often come from or lead to other forms of government (like autocracies)

Theocracy  “Theo” means “god” in Greek… so if a government is THEO-cratic that means it is ruled by… That’s right! A god or higher power!  Leaders ( autocratic or oligarchic ) are usually religious leaders and society uses religious law to settle its disputes  Example: The Islamic Republic of Iran is a modern theocracy that uses the holy Islamic book, The Qur’an, as its guide.

Anarchy  No government at all… WAIT ! Then who makes and enforces laws?

Anarchy  No government at all…  In an anarchy there is no government to make or enforce laws. What do you think that would be like?

Wow! There are so many forms of government! And remember there are also combinations… What is government ruled by GOD and a FEW people called?

WHEW! We had better review… Time for some “A or B!”

Democracy AB Rule by everyone Rule by no one

Direct Democracy AB Citizens elect people to vote All citizens vote on everything

Representative Democracy AB Representatives are appointed Representatives are elected

Autocracy AB Rule by one Rule by few

Monarchy AB Never have constitutions Power is inherited

Dictatorship AB Always protect freedom of speech Have total control

Oligarchy AB Power is always inherited Come in many forms

Theocracy AB Power from a higher being Power taken through force

Anarchy AB Everyone follows the laws Everyone does what they want