1. The Nature of Power, Politics, and Government
Chapter 1
Essential Question: Why should you care about power, politics and government?

2. Rocket to Mars (no need to write this)
Earth is in trouble
Scientists build a rocket
500 skilled people, plants, books, animals (a spaceship Noah’s ark)
Goal: rebuild human society
They shoot it off
Upon descent, force field erases their memories
They land okay, have 6 months supplies, feel instinct to survive
What will happen? Or, what would you do if you were there?

3. The “state of nature” Thomas Hobbes 1651 wrote “Leviathan”
Said in the “state of nature” there is no ruling body
So, the state of nature is anarchy = no government
Came up with the “social contract”

4. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

5. So… Hobbes said… “social contract” Social = refers to people
…people will anarchy is bad
…people will take action to avoid it
…a benevolent (kind) king is best.
“social contract”
Social = refers to people
Contract = a two-way relationship where each does their part
Social contract = people will agree to be under the king’s authority, in return, the king will protect the people.

6. Power Power = ability to get others to do what you want
How? Carrot or stick?
Persuade – convince them to do
Coerce – persuade them with a threat behind it
Force – make them do it
Legitimacy = the right to rule; acceptance by people
Mandate of heaven – ruler was “son of heaven”
Divine right – God chose the king
Social-contract theory – people give personal sovereignty to the gov’t in exchange for protections

7. Government - why? how? who?
Maintain order
Protection
Public goods – think of roads, streetlights
How?
Coercion – convince them
Force – make them
Revenue collection – tax them
Who?
One – king, dictator
Few – the elite, rich
Many – democracy

8. Nation-states
A combo of nation and state – common people in a common area with common gov’t.
Territorial integrity
Stable population
Code of laws
National sovereignty – we run ourselves

9. Preview (we’ll do this on laptops soon)
Make a list of all the individuals, institutions, and circumstances that have power over you. For each one, briefly describe how it has power over you.
Now make a list of all of the individuals, institutions, and circumstances in which you have power. For each one, briefly describe how you have power.
Create a simple illustration that represents you and how you feel about power in your life.
Below your illustration, summarize in two or three sentences how you feel about power in your life.

10. Reading Notes, sections 2 to 4
Create an illustrated dictionary. For each term, (1) create a symbol or icon to represent it, (2) write a definition in your own words, and (3) write a sentence using the term.
Section 2 – power, authority, legitimacy, mandate of heaven, divine right of kings, social-contract theory
Section 3 – government, public good, coercion, revenue, polity, nation-state, sovereignty
Section 4 – politics, institution

11. Section 5
Create a table like the one below. In column 1, enter the names of the 5 political games discussed in section 5. describe each game in column 2. Lastly, in column 3, list and briefly explain one historical example of each game.
Five Political Games
Game
Description
Example

12. Processing Read the quotes, mark each as either 1 = never true
5 = always true
Which of the quotations do you think is the most true about power?
Which of the quotations do you think is the most true about politics?
Which of the quotations do you think is the most true about your own life?