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Understanding Government: Forms, Purpose, and Influence Explained

Explore the role of government in society, from its historical origins to modern principles such as democracy and social contract theory. Delve into the key functions of government, the purpose it serves, and the various forms it may take. Gain insights into the significance of sovereignty, public policy, and the rights of individuals within a state.

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Understanding Government: Forms, Purpose, and Influence Explained

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Government and the State 1:1

  2. How Is Government Involved In Your Life? • Is Government involved in your life? • If so, how much? • What is democracy? • Three things to know: • The purpose of government • The major forms of government • The major concepts of government

  3. What is government? • Government – The institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies • Public Policy – All of the things a gov’t decides to do • Taxation • Defense • Education • ...and on and on and on and on and on

  4. A Brief History of Government • Government systems have been around as long as humans

  5. A Brief History of Government • Aristotle – Greek philosopher • “Man is by nature a political animal”

  6. The State • State – A body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically, and able to make and enforce laws • 4 Parts to a State • Population • Territory • Sovereignty • Government

  7. Population • Varies from state to state • Clearly, to have a state, you must have people

  8. Territory • Land with recognized boundaries • Varies from state to state • United States – 3.7 Million Sq. Miles • USSR – 6.6 Million Sq. Miles • San Marino – 24 Sq. Miles

  9. Sovereignty • Every state is sovereign • It has supreme and absolute power within its boundaries • It can make its own policies, decide its own future • Determine its own form of Gov’t

  10. Sovereignty • States within the United States are not sovereign • Whomever holds the power in a state is of extreme importance • Determines what kind of Gov’t you will have

  11. Government • Government consists of the machinery and the personnel by which the state is ruled • Every state is politically organized • Many different forms of Gov’t • The power to rule can be enforced many different ways

  12. Origins of the State • Four Theories: • Force Theory • Evolutionary Theory • Divine Right Theory • Social Contract Theory

  13. Force Theory • Theorists believe the state may have been born through force • One person or a group claimed control of an area and forced people to abide by their rule

  14. Evolutionary Theory • Primitive Family – The head of the household ruled over the family > Clan – The original family has offspring and eventually the connected families become a clan > Tribe – The clan abandons its nomadic ways and the state is born

  15. Divine Right Theory • The state is created by God, who in turn has bestowed upon royalty a “divine right” to rule • Subjects are bound to obey their ruler as they would God • Present day democracy was / is a challenge to Divine Right • Many civilizations used this theory to determine government systems

  16. Social Contract Theory • Significant to the American political system • Developed in France in the 17th and 18th centuries • The building blocks of democracy

  17. Social Contract Thomas Hobbes: “state of nature” “nasty, brutish, and short” only the strongest survived

  18. Social Contract • Humans overcame this lifestyle by agreeing to form the state • Giving up to get • The people had, by contract, giving up some of their rights in return for stable and agreeable government • Contract = Constitution • The state arose out of a voluntary act of free people

  19. Social Contract • 3 Things Social Contract Theory Says: • 1. State exists only to serve the will of the people • 2. The people are the sole source of political power • 3. The people are free to give or take power away

  20. Social Contract Concepts • Popular Sovereignty • Limited Government • Individual Rights

  21. The Purpose of Government • Preamble of the Constitution • To Form a More Perfect Union • Linking people together, power in numbers • To Establish Justice • The law must be reasonable, fair, and impartial • To Insure Domestic Tranquility • Keeping the peace at home

  22. Purpose of Government • To Provide For the Common Defense • Defending against foreign nations • To Promote the General Welfare • Tasks the government performs for your benefit • To Secure the Blessings of Liberty • No person can be free to do what he or she pleases • “You can only be free, if I am free.” - Clarence Darrow • “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” - T. Jefferson

  23. The Best Laid Plans Are Flexible • It is up to each new generation to abide by and grow with and upon these beliefs • The Constitution was made to stretch

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