Political Systems

Chapter 1:
Principles of
Government
 Hobbes vs. Locke
In the Venn Diagram below, compare and contrast the similarities and differences
between the philosophies of both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Place as many
items as you can in each area of the Venn Diagram.

Hobb Loc
es ke
❝ Politics is a practice,
government is an
institution. Politics
decides who will hold
the power
❝ Politics is the process
by which a society
decides how power and
resources will be
distributed within
society. It is neither
“good” nor “bad.”
❝ What is government?
❝ National vs. State Governments
❝ Four Characteristics of a State:
❝ Population
❝ Territory
❝ Sovereignty
❝ Government
❝ What Governments Do
❝ National Defense
❝ Provide Public Goods
❝ Police Powers
❝ Socialization
❝ Taxes
Definition: The
institutions and
processes through
which public
policies are made
for society.
Government is
made up of those
people who
exercise its powers,
all of those who
have authority and
control people.
Public policies - all of
those things a
government decides to
do.
❝A body of people
living in a defined
territory, organized
politically (that is,
with a
government), and
with power to make
and enforce law
without the consent
of any higher
authority.
❝Four
Characteristics of a
State
❝ Population – may or may not
be homogenous
❝ Territory – Land with
recognized boundaries
❝ Sovereignty – Every state is
sovereign – it has supreme and
absolute power within its own
territory.
❝ Government – Every state is
politically organized. That is,
every state has a government.
What
circumstance
s led to the
establishmen
t of the
STATE?
❝ Purposes of Government
❝ Preamble to the
Constitution:
❝ Forming a More Perfect Union
❝ Establishing Justice
❝ Insuring Domestic Tranquility
❝ Providing for the Common
Defense
❝ Promoting the General
Welfare
❝ Securing the Blessings of
Liberty
❝ Theories of
Democratic
Government
❝ Defining “Democracy”
❝ Theories
❝ Evolutionary
❝ Force
❝ Divine Right
❝ Social Contract
The Evolutionary
Theory – it’s the
belief that
government
developed naturally
out of the early
family. One person
was the head and
thus the
“government” was
the first stage in
political
development.
The Force Theory
– it’s the belief
that one person
or small group
claimed control
over an area and
forced all within to
submit to that
person’s rule.
The Divine Right
Theory – it’s the
belief that God
created the state
and God gave
those of royal
birth the right to
rule.
The Social Contract
Theory – it’s the
belief that people
agreed to create
the state by
contract in order to
promote safety and
well-being for all
members.
However, each
person had to give
up some freedoms.
Governments are
classified in three
ways:
❝ Who can participate
❝ The geographic
distribution of power
❝ The relationship between
the legislative (lawmaking)
and the executive (law-
executing) branches of
government.
Direct (Pure)
Democracy
❝ Mass meetings are held and
all in attendance are polled
or allowed to vote
❝ Can only work in small
communities, where the
people can meet centrally to
discuss
❝ Could direct democracy work
today?
Indirect
(Representative)
Democracy
❝ A small group of people,
chosen by the people to act as
representatives, express the
authority of the people.
❝ These representatives are
held responsible by regular
elections
Dictatorship
❝ Those who rule are not
held responsible to the will
of the people (the
government is not
accountable for its policies)
❝ The oldest and most
common form of
government.
Autocracy
❝ A single person holds
unlimited political power
Oligarchy
❝ A government in which the
power is held by a small,
usually self-appointed elite
❝ Several groups may actually
compete for power in a
dictatorship
❝ All dictatorship are
AUTHORITARIAN
❝ Absolute & Unchallenged power
over citizens
DISTRIBUTION OF THE
THREE POWERS

❝ Dictatorship – all
powers held by a single
individual or group.
❝ Democracy – authority
rests in the hands of the
people.
❝ Governments must have power
to carry out public policies.
• Every government has and
exercises three kinds of power:
• Legislative power – the power to
make laws
• Executive power – power to
execute, enforce and administer
laws
• Judicial power - power to
interpret laws, to determine their
meaning, and to settle disputes that
arise in society.
Powers are generally outlined in a
constitution – a body of
fundamental laws setting out the
principles, structures, and
processes of government.
❝ Government Structures
❝ Unitary (aka Centralized)
❝ Confederate
❝ Federal
❝ Systems of Government
❝ Presidential
❝ Parliamentary
❝ Economic Systems &
Government
❝ Capitalism
❝ Socialism
❝ Communism
Unitary (Centralized)
Government
❝ All powers held by the
government belong to a
single, central agency which
can create subordinate local
governments to cover local
policies.
❝ Example: Great Britain –
Parliament holds all of the
government’s power, but is
still elected democratically.
Confederate
Government
❝ An alliance of
independent states; the
central government has
only those powers
granted to it by member
states
❝ Example: European
Union – Free trade,
common currency,
coordination among
defense and foreign
policies
Federal Government
❝ The powers of government
are divided between a
central government and
several local governments
❝ Some higher authority
creates a division of powers
between central and local
governments
❝ Example: United States –
division of powers is set out
in the Constitution, some to
the central government, and
some to the 50 state
governments
Presidential
Government
❝ A separation of powers exists
between the executive and
legislative branches of
government
❝ (that is, the same branch
cannot both make and enforce
the laws
❝ The chief executive (the
president) is chosen
independently of the
legislative, and has powers
that are not subject to the
direct control of the legislative
branch
Parliamentary
Government
❝ The executive is the prime
minister (or premier) and
the prime minister’s
cabinet, who are all
members of the legislative
branch, parliament
❝ Prime Minister is leader of
a majority party or coalition
and is chosen by that party.
❝ If the prime minister’s party
loses the majority, he is
replaced.
Capitalism
❝ Is often called a free
enterprise system.
❝ It is an economic system
characterized by private
or corporate ownership of
capital goods (physical
capital) and investments
that are determined by
private decisions rather
than state control. This
system operates in a free
market.
Socialism
❝ Is an economic and political
philosophy based on the
idea that the benefits of
economic activity – wealth –
should be equitably
distributed throughout a
society.
❝ This fairness is achieved
through the principle of
collective (that is, public)
ownership of the most
important means by which
goods and services are
produced and distributed. It
relies on centralized
planning to achieve its goals
Communism
❝ Is often called a
collectivist ideology
which calls for the
collective or state
ownership of land and
other productive
property.
❝ Influences on American
Government
❝ Ancient Greeks & Romans
❝ Magna Carta (1215)
❝ Parliament
❝ Petition of Right (1628)
❝ English Bill of Rights (1689)
❝ Enlightenment Philosophers
❝ John Locke
❝ Montesquieu
❝ Colonial Experiences
❝ Colonial Charters
❝ Virginia House of Burgesses
❝ Mayflower Compact
❝ Difficulties with Britain
❝ Prior to 1750
❝ Post-French and Indian War
❝ New Taxes
❝ Protests
❝ Coercive Acts (aka Intolerable
Acts)
❝ Continental Congress
❝ First Continental Congress
❝ Second Continental Congress
❝ Declaration of
Independence
❝ Articles of Confederation
(1781-1789)
❝ Key Idea: Weaknesses
❝ While America was
originally populated by
Native Americans, and
came to be colonized by
the French, Dutch,
Spanish, Swedes (among
others), the English had
the greatest impact on our
government
❝ While the English
influenced the early
American government, the
English drew form others
sources;
❝ Early river civilizations
❝ Roman Empire
❝ Ordered Government
❝ Examples: offices of
sheriff, coroner, assessor,
and justice of the peace,
the grand jury
❝ Limited Government
❝ Government is not all-
powerful
❝ Representative
Government
❝ Government should serve
the will of the people
❝ The Magna Carta
❝ The barons forced King
John to sign in 1215

❝ Included several
fundamental rights:
❝ Trial by jury
❝ Due process of law
❝ Protection from arbitrary
seizure of life, liberty,
property
❝ Parliament forced
Charles I to sign
❝ Limited the king’s power
❝ King could no longer
imprison or punish any
person without judgment
of peers (trial by jury)
❝ No martial law in times of
peace
❝ No sheltering of troops
without consent
❝ During the Glorious
Revolution(1688-1689),
William and Mary were
required to sign before
taking the throne
❝ Prohibited a standing army
in peacetime
❝ All parliamentary elections
required to be free
❝ Right to a fair trial
❝ No excessive bail or cruel
and unusual punishment
❝ The 13 colonies were
established separately
over the course of 125
years
❝ Virginia was the first
English colony
❝ Jamestown, 1607
❝ Georgia was last
❝ Savannah, 1733
❝ All had a charter
❝ A written grant of authority
from the king
❝ Subject to direct control of
the Crown
❝ New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, New York, New
Jersey, Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia
❝ Royal governor served as
chief executive
❝ Council served as advisory
body
❝ The Legislative branch was
bicameral
❝ The Council
❝ The lower house (elected by
property owners)
❝ Maryland, Pennsylvania,
and Delaware
❝ Organized by a
proprietor, who chose
how the land was
governed
❝ Maryland, Lord Baltimore
❝ Pennsylvania and
Delaware, William Penn
❝ In Pennsylvania, the
legislature was unicameral
❝ Connecticut and Rhode
Island
❝ Largely self-governing
❝ Governors elected, not
appointed
❝ Bicameral legislatures
❝ Considered very liberal
governments for their
time
❝ The First and Second
Continental Congress had
no legal basis, they were
an emergency
organizations only
❝ Richard Henry Lee (who
proposed the Declaration
of Independence) also
proposed the S.C.C.
develop “a plan of
confederation”
❝ On November 15, 1777 the
Articles of Confederation
were approved
❝ Each state kept “its
sovereignty, freedom,
and independence” and
all powers not granted to
the United States
❝ Ratification – formal
approval
❝ Was not ratified by all 13
states until 1781
❝ Congress was the
unicameral, made up of
delegates from each state
in whatever way their
legislatures chose
❝ Each state had one vote
❝ No executive or judicial
branch
❝ Committees would handle
these functions
❝ Congress chose a
presiding officer
❝ Make war and peace
❝ Send and receive
ambassadors
❝ Make treaties
❝ Borrow money
❝ Set up a money system
❝ Establish post offices
❝ Build a navy
❝ Raise an army by asking
the States for troops
❝ Fix uniform weights and
measures
❝ Settle disputes between
the states
❝ Obey the Articles and
acts of Congress
❝ Provide funds and troops
❝ Treat each other’s
citizens equally with
their own
❝ Give full faith and public
credit to acts of other
states
❝ Take all disputes to
Congress
❝ Congress had no power to tax
❝ It could only raise money by
borrowing
❝ No power to regulate trade
between the states
❝ No executive to enforce acts of
Congress
❝ No national court system
❝ No Amendments without
unanimous consent of the States
❝ No amendments were ever made
to the Articles of Confederation
❝ 9 out of 13 majority required to
pass all laws
❝ The Revolutionary War
ended on October 1781
❝ The Treaty of Paris was
signed in 1783
❝ The Articles quickly
faced many problems
❝ States refused to support
the central government
❝ Several states made
agreements with foreign
nations without
permission
❝ The States taxed each
other’s goods
❝ Some even banned trade
with others
❝ They printed their own
money
❝ Prices soared, credit was
destroyed
❝ Violence broke out in
many places
❝ Shay’s Rebellion – in
response to loss of land due
to debt
❝ Those most threatened –
large property owners,
merchants, traders and
creditors – began to push
for a stronger government
❝ Representatives from
Maryland and Virginia met
at Mount Vernon to settle
trade disputes
❝ The meeting was so
successful, the Virginia
General Assembly called for
a joint meeting of all the
States
❝ The joint meeting took
place in Annapolis
❝ Only 5 states sent
delegates

❝ A second meeting was

called in Philadelphia
❝ 7 states named delegates
❝ The Congress called upon
all the States to send
delegates to Philadelphia
❝ Articles of Confederation
– all 13 states must agree
to amend
❝ Constitution – 9 out of 13
must agree to ratify
❝ Federalists – those who
favored ratification of the
Constitution
❝ James Madison
❝ Alexander Hamilton
❝ Anti-Federalists – those
who opposed ratification
of the Constitution
❝ Patrick Henry
❝ Richard Henry Lee
❝ John Hancock
❝ Samuel Adams
❝ Stressed the weaknesses
of the Articles
❝ Only a new government
could solve the
problems facing the
Republic
❝ Objected to the
ratification process
❝ No mention of God
❝ The denial of States’
power to print money
❝ Two major features drew
the heaviest opposition
❝ Strength of the new
government
❝ Lack of a Bill of Rights
❝ Delaware was the first
❝ New Hampshire was
ninth
❝ One major problem –
neither Virginia nor New
York had ratified
❝ Federalists:
❝ James Madison
❝ John Marshall
❝ Governor Edmund
Randolph
❝ Anti-Federalists
❝ Patrick Henry
❝ James Monroe
❝ Richard Henry Lee
❝ George Mason
❝ The debate in New York
gave rise to The
Federalist
❝ Collection of essays
written by Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison,
John Jay
❝ First published in
newspapers, then
collected into book form
❝ New York was the
capital
❝ Congress convened on
March 4th, 1789
❝ George Washington
elected President
unanimously
❝ Took the oath of office on
April 30, 1789

❝ John Adams was Vice

President