Origins of Government

Forms Of Government  As distinguished by Aristotle Ruled by One, a Few, and All

Political Triangle

Libertarian Libertarianism Totalitarian Socialism authoritarianism U.S.S.R Authoritarian Saudi Arabia USA Great Britain Nazi Germany SwedenJapan

Foundations  Classical Ancient philosophers Greek and Roman Direct and representative Democracy  Natural Philosophers  Colonial history Conclusion:  Government should be the servant of the people Aristotle  Government should be limited by a higher law or Constitution

Why do we have governments  John Locke=political philosopher Natural rights philosophy What would life be if there was no government? = state of nature  Our Human Nature Self-interest Not all people are good

The need for a Government The need for authority The need to protect natural rights from human nature  Legitimate Government = consent from the people I.e. a representative democracy  Illegitimate Government = no consent from the people i.e. a totalitarian government Social Contract  Agreement between government and the people

What if Government does not do its job  According to John Locke = Government obtains its authority from the people = Social Contract People give authority People can take it away The right to revolution

Constitutional Governments

 A Constitutional Government has limits Limited Governments = restrains in the power of government  Constitution = customs, traditions, rules, and laws a government operated under Written and unwritten Unlimited Governments = no retrains in the power of government  A Constitution is the higher law of a nation

Characteristics  Provides the basic rights to all citizens  It gives government a set of responsibilities  Acknowledges private domain government cannot interfere in certain areas of individuals’ lives  Gives government limitations  Open to the change of time

The Founders’ view on Constitutional Governments

Characteristics of a Constitution  Provides the basic rights to all citizens  It gives government a set of responsibilities  Private domain government cannot interfere in certain areas of individuals’ lives  Gives Government limitations  Open to the change of time

 A Constitution should place limits on government Limited Governments Unlimited Governments  Totalitarianism  Dictatorship

Constitutional Governments  Constitution = customs, traditions, rules, and laws that a government operates under Written and unwritten  USA and UK  What is an “unwritten” Constitution?

 Written The “written” Constitution  Unwritten President’s cabinet Congressional Committees Political Parties Judicial Review

Democracy  Compromises different political formulas  Belief in open society, civil rights, and free elections Voting majority override minority Human rights

The Common Good  Serving everybody in the country Working to help others and promote the common good = civic virtue The founding fathers thought civic virtue was important for a republican government.

A Republican Government  The founding fathers believed most of the people had civic virtue distrustful of direct democracies

Representative vs Direct  the people elect representatives to carry out their wishes in government for them.  government exists to serve the people, not vice-versa.  If the leaders do not live up to the expectations, those leaders will not get re- elected for more terms of office.  all voters in a community meet to make laws  All voters determine what actions to take.  works with small groups.

Representative Democracy

Pillars of Democracy  Sovereignty of the people  Government based upon consent of the governed  Majority rule  Minority rights  Guarantee of basic human rights  Free and fair elections  Equality before the law  Due process of law  Constitutional limits on government  Social, economic, and political pluralism  Values of tolerance, pragmatism, cooperation, and compromise

Five Cornerstones of an ideal Democracy  Robert A. Dahl Equality of voting Effective participation Enlighten understanding Citizen control the agenda inclusion