1. Principles of Government
Chapter 1
Section 1

2. Government & It’s Purpose:
Government: The institutions, people and processes by which a nation-state or political unit is ruled and its public policy created and administered

3. Government & It’s Purpose:
Nation-State: A political unit with a defined territory, organized under a government and having the authority to make and enforce the law
Territory: Land
Population: People
Sovereignty: Authority to make decisions
Government: People with the authority to rule
Politics: The methods or tactics involved in managing government and gaining power

4. You to can be a King All you need is about a billion dollars
The Principality of Sealand
All you need is about a billion dollars

5. Government & It’s Purpose
Government has 5 main purposes:
Protection: Provide protection for its citizens from threats abroad
Maintenance of Public Order: Protecting citizens from violence from within
Resolution of Social Conflicts: Serves as mediator when disputes arise between groups
Responsibility for a Stable Economy: Keep the money flowing
Provision of Public Services: Provide basic needs and care for those who are in need

6. Origins of Government:
Evolution Theory: Sees government as an extension of the family (parents have power over the children)
Families came together to form tribes (elders in charge)
Force Theory: Governments formed as a result of one
group’s conquest of another
Victorious group would impose its rules
on the conquered group

7. Divine Right Theory: Rulers divine their authority directly from god
Defiance of rulers is defiance of god himself

8. Origins of Government:
Social Contract Theory: The governed and those governing have obligations to each other, the people being governed will support the government and the government will protect the basic rights of the people
Idea made popular by 17th and 18th Century philosophers, including John Locke, James Harrington, Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacques Rousseau

9. Power & Forms of Government:
Power generally held by only a few people
Elites: A small and privileged group who have a disproportionate share of money or political influence
Marxist Theory: Those who control the economy have the real power, government is a tool of the rich
Power Elite: Important policies made by three groups, corporate, military and political leaders
The Bureaucrats: Elites are not well-known, are the people behind the scenes who carry out day-to-day operations of government
The Pluralists: No single group has complete control of money, power or prestige; power split between many types of elites

10. All Governments can be classified by…
1. Who can participate in the governing process.
2. The geographic distribution of governmental power within the state.
3. The relationship between the legislative and executive branches of government.

11. Rule by… Rule by many (Democracy):
Democracy: Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives
Direct/Participatory Democracy: Democratic system in which all citizens participate in politics and decision-making
Representative Democracy: Democratic system in which policies are made by officials accountable to the people who elect them

12. Rule by… Rule by one (Autocracy): Rule by few (Oligarchy):
Absolute Monarchy: Ruler gains power through inheritance
Dictatorship: Absolute ruler controls all power, usually by fear or force, ignores the will of the people
Rule by few (Oligarchy):
Aristocracy: “Rule by the finest,” power determined by social status, wealth or level of education
Theocracy: Power to rule lies in the hands of religious groups
Political Party: Control of all power by one political party

13. Forms of Government:
Unitary System: Form of government where all the powers of government are held by a single unit or agency
Rules applied equally to all, avoids costly duplications
Examples include France, Japan, Denmark, Great Britain
Federal System: From of government where powers are divided between a central authority and a number of regional political subdivisions
Powers are separate but overlapping
Confederations: Political system in which a weak central government has limited authority & the states have ultimate power
Loose grouping of independent states

14. Forms of Government:
Parliamentary Government: The executive leaders are chosen by and responsible to the legislature
Chief executive is Prime Minister or Premier and is a member of the legislature (as are the members of his/her cabinet)
Not popularly elected, but heads the majority party or coalition of parties
Presidential Government: The legislative and executive branches are separate & function independently
Chief executive is the president, popularly elected
Both groups balance & check one another
President is totally separate from the legislative branch