1. Introduction to Government

2. What is government?
A government is an institution through which society makes and enforces its public policies.
Public policies are things that the government does for everyone: taxes, defense, education, health care, transportation, crime, civil rights, etc.
A government uses its power to make and carry out these policies.
A government also helps keep society maintain and sustain itself.

3. Evolution of Government
Government probably started off in hunter-gatherer days as someone took control of the clans.
Neolithic Rev. changed everything.
More people = more problems.
First civilizations.
From clans to cities.

4. Evolution of Government
Hammurabi and Ten Commandments.
From cities to empires.
How to maintain order and protect.
Rise of ancient monarchs. Gods to god-like.
The major empires of the ancient world.

5. Evolution of Government
Rome: City-Republic-Empire-Corrupt State.
Catholicism and Feudalism takes over in Europe.
Rise of independent monarchs.
Birth of the nation-state.
The Magna Carta.
The Enlightenment changes everything.
Revolution!!!

6. Evolution of Government
Industrial Revolution.
Capitalism vs Socialism.
Rise of the Individual.
Imperialism returns.
Growth of democracy vs end of monarchy.
World Wars change things.
Cold War changes things.
The New World Order and Terrorism.

7. What is a state?
A geographic area that is organized with a government and is its own highest authority.
In international terms, a “State” is an independent country.
A state has a definitive population, territory, government, and sovereignty (meaning it has ultimate power in its territory).
The United States is a union of 50 of such bodies that are together for a common purpose.

8. What is a nation?
A nation, in international sense, is NOT a country or a state.
A nation is an ethnic group (Danish, Japanese, Arabian, etc.).
A nation-state is a country made up of a single ethnic group (Denmark, Japan, Saudi Arabia, etc.)

9. Types of Government orange - parliamentary republics
green - presidential republics, executive presidency linked to a parliament
yellow - presidential republics, semi-presidential system
blue - presidential republics, full presidential system
red - parliamentary constitutional monarchies in which the monarch does not personally exercise power
magenta - constitutional monarchies in which the monarch personally exercises power, often (but not always) alongside a weak parliament
purple - absolute monarchies
brown - republics where the dominant role of a single party is codified in the constitution
beige - states where constitutional provisions for government have been suspended
Types of Government

10. Types of Democratic Governments
Republic: A type of representative democracy where the people elect people to make decisions for them. There is also no monarch. (US, Mexico, Philippines, India, France, Brazil, etc.) Sometimes these “representatives” are forced on the people (Iran, USSR, etc.)
Constitutional Monarchy: Where a monarch rules either with a parliament or as a symbol of the government (Britain, Denmark, Japan, Canada, Australia, etc.)
Parliamentary: The legislative body dominates the nation and divides power between a prime minister and president (Israel, Germany, Poland, Italy)
Direct Democracy: People vote on everything. Only in Switzerland.

11. Other Types of Government
Monarchy: Ran by a king or queen. Only in Saudi Arabia.
Theocracy: Government run by religion. Only Vatican, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
Communism: Where government controls all factors of production. Only in China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and North Korea.
Single-Party-nation with just one party. All the commie states plus Burma, Syria, Eritrea, and Turkmenistan.
Military Dictatorship: Government run by the military. Currently, it is in Burma, Fiji, Guinea, Libya, Niger, and North Korea.
Totalitarian: Run by a dictator, single party, or other body with complete and total control. Most are in Asia and Africa.
Oligarchy: Run by a council. Rare today. Found in Sparta and Greek city-states.

12. Concepts of Democracy
Confederation: A loose organization of states bound together (like the European Union). Very unstable.
Unitary Government: Where all the power stems from one central authority (like Britain and its parliament).
Federal Government: Where a central government delegates authority and power to lower bodies (like the US)

13. Concepts of Democracy
Presidential Government: Separation of powers between a president and legislature. They are independent of each other and equal in power.
Parliamentary Government: Prime minister is part of the parliament’s leading party. Prime minister is subject to the control of the parliament.

14. Concepts of Democracy Worth of the individual.
Equality of all persons.
Majority rule by minority rights.
Compromise.
Individual freedom.
Free enterprise and capitalism.
Free media.