Philosophies of Government
Pre-Chapter 1 Section 1
Questions
1. Why is government necessary?
2. How does government get its power?
3. What is the role of people in the
government?
4. Do people have the right to overthrow a
government?
5. What does government protect?
John Locke
John Locke and his beliefs
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We all have rights
They are called our NATURAL RIGHTS
These rights are life, liberty and property
Government is made to protect these rights
Government is necessary for security
If government fails to protect these rights, then
we must rebel and create a new government
• THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION!!!!!!
Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington
• List 3 aspects of Lisa’s original essay that
shows her appreciation of government.
• What significant event changes her
perspective on government?
• How does government resolve her concern?
• President George H. Bush has an important
line in the video….what is that line?
• Does this video demonstrate the ideas of
John Locke? Why or why not?
Questions
1. Why is government necessary?
2. How does government get its power?
3. What is the role of people in the
government?
4. Do people have the right to overthrow a
government?
5. What does government protect?
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes and his beliefs
• Hobbes believed that people are animals
• Survival of the fittest: we kill each other for
survival
• People need government for social control
(SOCIAL CONTRACT)
• Government is always right because it
protects us
• People give up their natural rights for
protection for one another
How is bullying connected to the
theory of Thomas Hobbes?
Questions
1. Why is government necessary?
2. How does government get its power?
3. What is the role of people in the
government?
4. Do people have the right to overthrow a
government?
5. What does government protect?
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Jean Jacques Rousseau and his beliefs
• He is much different form the other
two
• People in their natural state work
together
• People are pack animals but packs have
a hierarchy
• Government adds chaos into the
equation
• People give up their rights for
protection, again the SOCIAL
CONTRACT
• The social contract creates government,
but government creates chaos
• Competition over materialistic items is
a result of government
• Government will start out small and
weak but will end up large, powerful,
and corrupt
Explain how the chart proves
Rousseau's theory to be true.
Questions
1. Why is government necessary?
2. How does government get its power?
3. What is the role of people in the
government?
4. Do people have the right to overthrow a
government?
5. What does government protect?
Government and the State
Chapter 1 Section 1
The State
• A state is a body of
people, living in a
defined territory
• It is organized
politically
• It has the power to
make and enforce
laws without the
consent of a higher
authority.
Where Did The State Come From?
• There are four theories
as to how a state gets
formed
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The Force Theory
The Evolutionary Theory
The Divine Right Theory
The Social Contract
Theory
The Force Theory
• The force theory states
that one person or a
small group took
control of an area
• They forced all within it
to submit to that
person’s or group’s rule.
The Evolutionary Theory
• The evolutionary theory
argues that the state
evolved naturally out of
the early family.
The Divine Right Theory
• The theory of divine right
holds that God created the
state
• God gives those of royal
birth a “divine right” to
rule.
The Social Contract Theory
• The social
contract theory
argues that the
state arose out of
a voluntary act of
free people.
Can more than one of theses theories
accurately explain the origin of the State?
Characteristics of A State
• Each state has four
characteristics
– All characteristics are all
connected
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Population
Territory
Sovereignty
Government
Population
• A state must have people
Territory
• A state must be
comprised of land or
territory with known
and recognized
boundaries
Sovereignty
• Every state is
considered sovereign.
– It has supreme and
absolute power within
its own territory
– It decides its own
domestic and foreign
policy
Government
• Government is an
institution that
makes society
develop:
• Public Policy
• Enforces public
policies.
• Every state has a
government that is
politically organized
Does Stoney Creek High School qualify
as a state? If not, what does it lack?
Forms of Government
Chapter 1 Section 2
How Are Governments Organized?
• Governments can be
classified by 3 basic
features:
– Who participates in the
governing process
– The geographic distribution
of the governmental power
within the state.
– The relationship between
the legislative
(lawmaking) and the
executive (law-executing)
branches of the
government.
3 Basic Forms of Government
• There are 3 basic forms
of government in the
world
– Unitary Government
– Confederate
Government
– Federal Government
Unitary Government
• A unitary government
has all powers held by a
single, central agency.
• Many states in the world
have a unitary system of
government.
• Power is given by the
central government to
smaller units of
administrative divisions
– Divisions only exercise
the powers that their
central government
chooses to delegate.
Confederate
Government
• A confederation is an
alliance of independent
states.
– The central government
being required to provide
support for all members
• Usually created by treaty
• They often adopt a
common constitution
• Confederations tend to be
established for dealing with
critical issues such as:
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Defense
Foreign affairs
Common currency
Economic issues
Federal
Government
• A federal government is one in
which the powers of
government are divided
between a central government
and several local governments.
• These levels exist within an
established territory and
govern
• They are governed through
common institutions
• Federal Governments have
overlapping or shared powers
as prescribed by a
constitution.
The Two Most Common Forms of
Government
• Democracy
• Dictatorship
Democracy
• In a democracy, supreme
political authority rests
with the people.
• There are two types of
democracy
– Direct Democracy
– Indirect
(Representative)Democracy
Direct Democracy
• Direct democracy exists
where the will of the people
is translated into law
directly by the people
themselves.
• Direct democracy is
classically termed "pure
democracy".
• There are now a total of 24
U.S. states with
constitutionally-defined,
citizen-initiated, direct
democracy governance
components
Indirect Democracy
• Indirect democracy is a small
group of representatives
chosen by the people to act
as their representatives
– expresses the popular will
– hold the power to select other
representatives, presidents, or
other officers of government
(indirect representation)
• There are two countries
which use indirect democracy
– United Kingdom (a
constitutional monarchy)
– Germany (a federal republic).
Parliamentary vs. Presidential
Governments
In which form of government is the chief
executive both elected from and part of
the legislature?
Dictatorship
• A dictatorship exists
where those who rule
cannot be held
responsible to the will
of the people.
• There are two types of
dictatorships
– Autocracy
– Oligarchy
Autocracy
• An autocracy is a
government in which a
single person holds
unlimited political
power.
Oligarchy
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An oligarchy is a government in
which the power to rule is held by
a small, usually self-appointed
elite.
These people could be
distinguished by:
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Royalty
Wealth
family ties
Corporate
military control.
After the fall of the Soviet Union,
privately owned Russia-based
multinational corporations
became oligarchies
– producers of petroleum
– natural gas
– metal
Why is a state unlikely to be both a
confederation and a dictatorship?
Basic Concepts of Democracy
Chapter 1 Section 3
What is Democracy?
• Democracy doesn’t just
“happen” because we
want it to.
• Instead, democracy
happens because
Americans believe in
the basic concepts of
democracy!
Basic Ideas of Democracy
• Every person is
worthwhile
• Every person is equal to
every other person
(equality)
• A belief is the majority
rule of the people AND
the importance of
minority rights
• Knowing the importance
of compromise
• Every person is given as
much freedom as possible
Democracy and The Economy
• There are 3 areas in the
economy in which
democracy is present
– Free Enterprise
– Law of Supply and
Demand
– Mixed Economy
Free Enterprise
• An economic system characterized by private or
corporate ownership of capital goods
• Investments that are determined by private decision
rather than by state control and determined in a free
market.
Law of Supply and Demand
• Decisions in a free
enterprise system are
determined by the law
of supply and demand.
• The people determine
what will be bought and
sold
Mixed Economy
• An economy in
which private
enterprise exists
• It uses a
combination of
considerable
regulation and
promotion
• The government
tries to regulate
the economy for
our common good
Democracy and The Internet
• Democracy demands
that the people be
widely informed about
their government.
• Theoretically, the
Internet makes knowledgeable
participation in democratic
process easier than ever before.
• However, all data on the World
Wide Web is not necessarily true,
and the long-term effects of the
Internet on democracy has yet to
be determined
– Plus we would rather Twitter and
use Facebook than learn about real
issues
So……How Democratic Are We?
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