An Introduction to Government

What is government?• Signs of government are found everywhere.

•Government is defined as an institution with the power to make and enforce rules for a group of people.

What is an institution?• An institution is a significant relationship,

practice, or organization in a society or culture.

What other institutions establish rules?1. Churches2. Clubs3. Sports4. Schools5. Parents/Families

What is government? … continued

• The government has sovereignty over its citizens.♦Sovereignty – absolute authority or power♦Citizen – the members of a community or state

• Governments of sovereign countries establish rules for their citizens by making laws.♦Law – a set of rules, made and enforced by

government.

What are the jobs of government?

1. Maintaining Order

2. Providing Services

3. Resolving Conflict

4. Promoting Values

Which picture matches each job of government?

Governments maintain order by:

1. Enforcing laws that protect the safety and security of people and property

2. Protecting people from unfair or harmful business practices

3. Protecting the country from foreign invasion

4. Protecting and promoting businesses

Maintaining Order

Providing ServicesWhat services does our government

provide?1. Building & maintaining roads and bridges2. Inspecting food and medicine3. Delivering mail4. Assisting the needy5. Building schools

Resolving Conflict•Government helps resolve conflict by bringing people together to reach common goals through compromise.

•Compromise is when each side gives up something to get something to resolve a conflict.

Promoting Values• What values does our government try to

promote by the laws/rules that they pass?

1. Safety2. Equality3. A good education4. Freedom5. Respect for individual rights

Public Good• All of these jobs of government share a

fundamental purpose: to serve the public good.− Public Good – The well-being of society as a

whole.

Types of Governments• Governments are different in 2 major ways:

1. Where their power to rule comes from2. How the power is distributed among levels

1. Where their power to rule comes from− Monarchies− Republics− Dictatorships

2. How the power is distributed among levels− Unitary system− Federal system− Confederal system/Confederation

Where their power comes from

Monarchy, Republic, Dictatorship

Monarchy• A monarch draws its power from being born into the

ruling family (The ruler inherits it).

• Monarch is just a BIG word for king or queen.

• A monarchy is one of the oldest forms of government. Until the early part of the 1900’s most countries were ruled by monarchs. Today, around 40 countries have monarchs.

• Besides a king or queen, today’s monarchs go by many names including sultan, emperor, and amir.

• Many countries have constitutional monarchs – the king/queen is primarily the ceremonial head of state.− The queen of England is a constitutional monarch.

Republic• In a republic the government gets its power

from the people.− The terms republic & democracy can be used

interchangeably.

Dictatorship• In a dictatorship, power is achieved and maintained

through force.

• Power is concentrated in the hands of a single person or a small group.

• Dictatorships are authoritarian because rulers answer only to themselves not the people.

• Sometimes dictatorships are so extreme that they become totalitarian.− Totalitarian rulers have complete control over all

aspects of citizen’s lives.

• Types of Dictatorships:1. Autocracy – rule by one.2. Oligarchy – rule by a few

Distribution of power among levels

Unitary system, Federal system, Confederal system

3 Levels of Government1. National or Federal level

2. State or Regional level

3. Local or city/county level

1. Unitary System

• All power is held by the National (Federal) level of government.

2. Federal System

3. Confederal System

• There may be no national government or a weak national government. Also called a confederation.

• Power is divided among national, state, and local levels of government.

Foundations of Democracy

Types of Democracy• Democracy came from ancient Athens, Greece.

• There are two types of democracy:1. Direct Democracy- a system in which laws may

be made directly by all citizens

2. Representative Democracy – a type of democracy where people elect officials to represent them in government.

What makes a democracy endure?• During the 1900’s, democracy has been the

one form of government that has not seen a decline.

Benefits of Democracy

1. Allows choice

2. Recognizes individual worth

3. Promotes respect for the law

4. Protects minority rights

5. Promotes the public good