1. The Political Landscape
Chapter 1

2. 5 questions about government….
What is government?
Is government really necessary?
What is the proper function of government?
What forms of government serves best?
What is a democracy?

3. Direct System of gov. in which members make their own Decisions.
Types of Democracy
Direct System of gov. in which members make their own Decisions.
Indirect System of gov. in which citizens vote for representatives to vote on their behalf.

4. Believed that education
The State
Aristotle
Believed that education
should be for everyone
One of 1st students of gov.
Studied the Polis
(ancient Greek city-state)
For his work, Politics, Aristotle
studied 158 states and
determined that constitutional
government was the best.

5. Important Terms Terms & concepts come from ancient Greece and Rome:
politics, democracy, and republic
Country and State (same meaning)
“stare” in Latin= “to stand”

6. Cont…
State- political community that occupies a territory and has an organized gov’t with the power to make and enforce laws w/o any higher authority.
Nation- group of people who are united by common bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and, sometimes, religion.
Nation-State- usually a country in which the territory of both the nation and state match.
EX. China , Japan, Egypt

7. What features make up a state?

8. 1. Population: the population shares a general political and social consensus (agreement), about basic beliefs. EX. Most Americans share beliefs about the value of democratic gov’t. 2. Territory: State established boundaries. Continental boundaries: Pacific & Atlantic Ocean Borders: Canada and Mexico 3. Sovereignty: Quality of having supreme, independent authority over a defined territory. 4. Government: State established a form of government (institution in which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces decisions that influence people living within the state)

9. Thomas Hobbes
Claimed that before society was organized human life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”
In order for humans to save themselves from destroying another, people made a social contract and agreed to form a state.
People agreed to be govern by an
absolute ruler who possessed
unlimited power.
Rebellion must be supervised. To him, absolute power was needed to preserved order in society.

10. John Locke He viewed the exercise of political power different.
He argued against the absolute ruler of
a person.
Believed that before society was organized, humans must create a state of equality and freedom.
Natural rights- life, liberty, and property/ No gov’t should violate these rights
Contract: Gov’t should protect citizens and their rights, if gov’t violated this rights, people had the right to elect a new gov’t.

11. American Culture and Tenets (Beliefs) of American Democracy
Liberty and Equality
Popular Consent, Majority Rule, and Popular Sovereignty
Individualism
Religious Faith and Religious Freedom

12. Function of the Government
Establish Justice
Insuring Domestic Tranquility
Promoting Common Defense
Promoting the General Welfare
Securing the Blessings of Liberty

13. 1.6
Political Ideology
Set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals.
- race, nationality, the role and function of government, relations between men and women, human responsibility for the natural environment…etc

14. Finding Your Political Ideology
1.6
Finding Your Political Ideology
Conservatives- Tend to believe that a government is best when it governs least. They want less government, especially in terms of regulating the economy. Conservatives favor local and state action over federal intervention. Conservatives are also likely to believe that the private sector is better equipped than the government to address domestic problems such as homelessness, poverty, and discrimination.
A growing percentage of voters can be classified as social conservatives, who believe that moral decay must be stemmed and that government should support and further traditional moral teachings. These voters favor government intervention to regulate sexual and social behavior and have mounted effective efforts to restrict contraceptives, abortion, and same-sex marriage.
Liberals- Seek to change the political, economic, and social status quo to foster the development of equality and the well-being of individuals.
Modern liberals generally value equality over other aspects of shared political culture. They support well-funded government social welfare programs that seek to protect individuals from economic disadvantages or to correct past injustices, and they generally oppose government efforts to regulate private behavior or infringe on civil rights and liberties.
Moderates take a relatively centrist view on most political issues. Aristotle actually favored moderate politics, believing that domination in the center was better than any extremes. Approximately 35 percent of the population today consider themselves political moderates.

15. FIGURE 1.3: What are Americans’ political ideologies?
1.6
FIGURE 1.3: What are Americans’ political ideologies?
Americans’ political ideologies have shifted dramatically over time. What was once a largely moderate nation has today become much more closely divided between liberals, conservatives, and moderates. These divisions can make governing particularly challenging and lead to gridlock in our political institutions.