what is the state? “he who has the power to take part in the deliberative or judicial...

What is the State?What is the State?

“He who has the power to take part in the deliberative or judicial administration of any state is said by us to be a citizen of that state.”

-Politics II, Aristotle

GreeksGreeks

1st serious students of politics and government

Aristotle- Greek philosopherState = Greek city-state = territory of a

town and its surrounding area where face-to-face communication was possible.

State = Nation = CountryState = Nation = Country

State: A political community in a precise territory

Nation: sizable group of people who believe themselves united by common bonds of race, language, custom, or religion

Nation-state: the territories of both the nation and the state coincide.

Features of a StateFeatures of a State

Population: people Territory: established boundaries

– U.S. territorial boundaries are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and recognized borders with its two continental neighbors, Canada and Mexico

– http://glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/socialstudies/in_motion_10/usg/USG_007.swf

Sovereignty: state has supreme and absolute authority within its boundaries. It has complete independence and power to make laws, foreign policy, and determine its course of action

Government: the institution through which a state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces decisions that are binding on all its residents

Origin of the StateOrigin of the State Evolutionary Theory: State evolved from the family Force Theory: early people cooperated to survive. The state

emerged when everyone in an area was brought under the authority of one person or group

Divine Right Theory: European monarchs (1600-1700s) who proclaimed that their right to rule came from God. To oppose the monarch = opposing God = treason = sin

Social Contract Theory: – Thomas Hobbes: in a state of nature life would be “nasty, brutish,

and short” Social Contract: people surrender freedom to the state in return for order

and security– John Locke: in a state of nature people had certain natural rights,

“life, liberty, and property” Social contract: contract between gov’t and people that promised to

preserve natural rights and if gov’t did not do so, people are justified in rebelling

Activity: Activity: Create a visual representation Create a visual representation

of the Stateof the State

Must include the 4 features of a state– Sovereignty– Population– Territory– Government

Introducing Government in Introducing Government in AmericaAmerica

Chapter 1

GovernmentGovernment

Definition:– The institutions and processes through which

public policies are made for society.

This definition leads to two basic questions:– How should we govern?– What should government do?

National governments throughout the National governments throughout the world perform the following functions:world perform the following functions: Provide security and defense: protect people against

attack by other states or threats such as terrorism, as well as handle day-to-day relations with other nations

Provide public services: provide services that no one person could provide

Preserve social order: “law and order”- provide ways of resolving conflicts among people- limit what individuals are permitted to do

Provide for economy/collect taxes: make choices that distribute benefits and services among citizens.

Socialize the young: indoctrinate youth with national pride and teach civic duties

“The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whateber they need to have done, but cannot do, at all, or can not so well do, for themselves in their separate, and individual capacities. In all that people can individually do for themselves, government ought not to interfere.”

-- Abraham Lincoln, 1854

Activity: Identify four major Activity: Identify four major purposes of government and purposes of government and

give and example of eachgive and example of each

Purpose Example

1. Provide public service education

2. Provide security Military; national guard

3. Socialize the youth Education; teaching national songs

4. Preserve social order Law enforcement ; national guard

5. Provide for economy Collect taxes

PoliticsPolitics

Definition:– The process by which we select our

governmental leaders and what policies these leaders produce. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

Also consider Lasswell’s definition:– Who gets what, when and how.

Politics = “Who gets what, Politics = “Who gets what, when, and how.”when, and how.”

Who = voters, candidates, groups, partiesWhat = substance of politics and

government– Benefits, such as medical care for elderly– Burdens, such as new taxes

How = how people participate in politics– Voting, supporting, compromising, lobbying,

etc.

Figure 1.3

The Policymaking SystemThe Policymaking System

The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time.

PeoplePeople

InterestsProblemsConcerns

Linkage InstitutionsLinkage Institutions

Political PartiesElectionsNews & Entertainment MediaInterest Groups

Policy AgendaPolicy Agenda

Political Issues– These are the “whats” that the various people

want taken care of.Items at the top of the policy agenda are

taken care of first.It may take years to get an item on the

policy agenda, and then several more years to get it acted on.

Policymaking InstitutionsPolicymaking Institutions

Legislature (Congress)Executive (President)Courts (Federal and State)Bureaucracies (Federal and State)

PolicyPolicy

Expenditures of moneyRaising or lowering taxesNew laws or regulationsNon-decisions (gridlock)

PeoplePeople

Impacts of policies:Does it solve the problem?Does it create more problems?

Types of Government Types of Government SystemsSystems

Unitary System: gives all key powers to the central government

Federal System: divides the powers of government between the national and state or provincial government - each level of gov’t has sovereignty in some areas.

Confederation: loose union of independent states

http://glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/socialstudies/in_motion_10/usg/USG_020.swf

ConstitutionConstitution

A plan that provides the rules for governmentSets out ideals that the people bound by the

constitution believe in and shareEst. the basic structure of gov’t, defines its

powers and dutiesProvides the supreme law for the countryMay be written or unwrittenU.S. const. is the oldest written const. still

serving a nation today

Constitutional Gov’tConstitutional Gov’t

A gov’t in which a const. has authority to place clearly recognized limits on the powers of those who govern

Constitutional government = limited government

Guide onlyDoes not always reflect actual gov’t

practices

PreamblePreamble

Statement of goals and purposes that the gov’t will serve

“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

-- Preamble to the Constitution, 1787

Major Types of Government

Autocracy • System of gov’t in which one person has all the authority and power to rule• Dynastic kings and emperors who exercised personal rule and maintained their power through army and police powers• Czars of Russia

Monarchy • one person has great power: king, queen, or emperor inherits the throne and heads the state•Monarch’s power has often been limited in some way by tradition or law•Medieval kings consulted w/council of nobles

Dictatorship • single ruler who rules by force and by dictate alone. No support is found in custom or religion for a dictatorship

Totalitarianism • special type of single-ruler gov’t where the ruler attempts to control the total society• Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin tried to control civil society completely, not just gov’t institutions

Oligarchy •Any system of gov’t in which a small group holds power• derive their power from wealth, social position, military power, or combo• China’s Communist leaders, Japan late 1800s

Democracy • system of government in which rule is by the people, either through representatives or directly

Republic • head of state is not a king or queen, and voters elect representatives to run the nation’s gov’t

Ideal Democratic ProcessIdeal Democratic Process Equality in voting- “One person, one vote” and

voting must be representative Effective participation- citizens must have

adequate and equal opportunities to express their preferences throughout the decision-making process

Enlightened understanding- marketplace of ideas; free speech and free press is a must!

Citizen control of the agenda- citizens should have a collective right to control the gov’t’s policy agenda

Inclusion- gov’t must include and extend rights to all those who are subject to its laws

Theories of U.S. Democracy…Theories of U.S. Democracy…

Pluralist Theory– A theory of government and policies

emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.

Groups will work togetherPublic interest will prevail


Elite and Class Theory– A theory of government and politics contending

that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.

Not all groups are equalPolicies benefit those with money / power


Hyperpluralism– A theory of government and politics contending

that groups are so strong that government is weakened.

Exaggerated / perverted form of pluralismConfusing / contradictory policiesGridlock- inability to act at all

Challenges to DemocracyChallenges to Democracy

Increased Technical ExpertiseLimited Participation in GovernmentEscalating Campaign CostsDiverse Political Interests

Questions About DemocracyQuestions About Democracy

Are the people knowledgeable- and do they apply what they know?

Do interest groups help the process, or do they get in the way?

Do political parties offer clear consistent choices for voters?

Does the President & Congress work in the best interests of ALL the people?

Questions about the Scope of Questions about the Scope of GovernmentGovernment

How big a role does the Constitution say should be played by the federal government?

Does a bigger, more involved (active) government limit the people’s freedoms?

Do we need a bigger, more involved government to protect our freedoms?

Questions about the Scope of Questions about the Scope of Government, continued…Government, continued…

Do competing political parties make for better policies?

Do more interest groups create a bigger government?

Does the media help control the size and policies government?


Can the president control the government, or has it gotten too big?

Can Congress respond to the needs of the people, or just to the interest groups?

Do members of Congress expand government by seeking to be re-elected?


Do the federal courts overstep their bounds and intrude on the powers of other branches of government?

Are the federal agencies too large and unresponsive to the public they are supposed to serve?

what is the state? “he who has the power to take part in the deliberative or judicial...

Documents