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Unitary system
can be described as a centralized government
All powers held by one,single, central agency
Ex: Great Britain
Federal system
One in which powers of government divided between a central, or national, government and several lower levels of government.
Ex: United States
What document in the US outlines the division of powers(i,e. Federalism)?
The constitution
National Federalism
Declare war
Maintain armed forces
Regulate interstate and foreign trade
Admit new states
Establish post offices
Set standard weights and measures
Coin money
Establish foreign policy
Make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out delegated powers
State Federalism
Establish and maintain schools
Establish local governments
Regulate business within the state
Make marriage laws
Provide for public safety
Assume other powers not delegated to the national government or prohibited to the states
Shared characters of national and state federalism
Maintain law and order
Levy taxes
Borrow money
Charter banks
Establish courts
Provide for public welfare
Confederate system
An alliance of independent states
Central government, or confederate government, only handles matters that the independent states assign to it
Confederations have been rare in the modern world because the central tends to be weak, as its powers tend to be severely limited
Ex: The European Union
Autocracy
A government in which a single person holds unlimited political power
Citizen participation is nonexistent
Absolute monarchy
Form of government in which sovereignty is actually or technically embodied in a single individual
Usually tied to birth right, meaning you have to be born into it
EX: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Brunei, and Oman
Dictatorship
Exists where those who cannot rule be held responsible to the will of the people
Usually gain power by military force and so are typically militaristic in character
EX: Myanmar( or Burma) and North Korea
Oligarchy
A government in which the power to rule is held a small, usually self-appointed elite
EX: peoples republic of China
Democracy
Supreme political authority rests with the people
Government is conducted only with the consent of the people
Citizens participate in elections and choose who will represent them
Pro to democracy
It puts the power of government in the hands of the citizens of the country
Con to democracy
Can be slow to make decisions because all people must discuss and vote on the issues
Presidential system of government
Features a separation of powers between the executive and the legislative branches of the government
The two branches are independent of one another and coequal
Each can check the other in various ways
Executive includes the chief executive (the president) and the cabinet
In a presidential system, how is the chief executive (the president) chosen?
Independent of the legislation
The president is elected by the people
President holds office for a fixed term(4 years in the United States)
Has a number of significant powers that are not subject to the direct control of the legislature branch
Where are the details of the separation of the powers of these two branches almost always spelled out?
In a written constitution, as they are in the United States
Parliamentary System of Government
The executive is made up of the prime minister or premier, and that’s officials cabinet
The voters elect the legislature
Prime minister and cabinet themselves are members of the legislative branch, usually called the Parliament
Prime minister
The leader of the majority party or of a like-minded group of parties in Parliament and is chosen by that body
In a parliamentary system, the executive is thus chosen by the _______, is a part of it, and is subject to its direct control
Legislature
If an important matter arises and parliament votes down a policy put forth by the prime minister and cabinet, then the prime minister and cabinet must _____.
Resign
Direct democracy
Also called a pure democracy
Exists where the will of the people is translated into public policy (law) directly by the people themselves, in mass meetings
Where can direct democracies exist today
Can work only in very small communities, where the citzenry can meet in a central place, and where the problems of government are few and relatively simple
Doesn’t exist at the national level anywhere in the world today
Can exist at the most local level of politics
Examples of direct democracy today
Town hall meetings
Ancient Athens
Representative democracy
Has representative chosen through elections
Small group is chosen to represent the overall will of the people
What are representatives responsible for?
Carrying out day to day functions of government, such as making laws and focusing on issues that are important to their constituents
What kind of democracy does the United States have?
Representative democracy
Republic
Sovereign power held by those who are eligible to vote
Political power is exercised by the representatives chosen by the citizens
Is the United States a republic
Yes
What is the concept of limited government?
Idea that government is not all-powerful
Government is restricted in what it may do
Each individual has certain rights that government cannot take away
What is the concept of the rule of law
Principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to the law
The law is fairly applied and enforced
What were the feudal barons trying to do when they forced King John to sign the Magna Carta?
They were seeking protection against heavy-handed and arbitrary(random) acts by the king
They were seeking to limit the power of the king
What fundamental rights were included in the Magna Carta
Trial by jury
Due process of law
What is due process of law
The protection (from the government) against the arbitrary (random or illogical) taking of life, liberty, or property
What principle was established by the Magna Carta?
Established the principle that the power of the monarchy was not absolute
This document marks the first instance of what limiting the kinds power?
Parliament
In what ways did the Petition of Right limit the kings power?
No cruel punishment nor excessive ball or fines
Right to bear arms
Right to petition to government
King could no longer declare martial law in times of peace or require homeowners to share their home with the kings troops without permission from the owners
Required the punishment of any person to be determined by a judgement of his peers
What did the petition of right challenge the idea of?
Divine right of kings, declaring that even a monarch must obey the law of the land
What were some of the various items and provisions included in the English bill of rights?
Prohibited a standing army in peacetime, except with the consent of Parliament
Required that all parliamentary elections be free
Monarchy forbidden to create and collect taxes without consent of Parliament
Citizens given the right to petition the king without the fear of being punished
Reinforced earlier rights approved in previous documents, such as:
Right to bear arms
No cruel and unusual punishment
No excessive fines or bail
Parliament was given the right to free speech and debate
What was the purpose of the Mayflower Compact
Drafted to prevent dissent amongst Puritans and non-separatist Pilgrims who had landed at Plymouth a few days earlier
Who is given credit for establishing the foundation for most of western philosophy from the perspective of social contract theory
Thomas Hobbes
What was Hobbes’ view about the church and its relationship to the king?
Hobbes warned against the church meddling in the king’s government
He feared that religion would be a cause of civil war
He advised that the church should be a department under the king’s government
According to Locke, the people had the right to _____ and establish a new government
Revolt
On what two (2) major points did John Locke disagree with Thomas Hobbes
Locke argued that natural rights, such as life, liberty, and property, existed in a state of nature and could not be taken away or voluntarily surrendered
Locke disagreed with the social contract and stated that the agreement was not just among the people, but between the people and the King
Lockes ideology is the foundation for what landmark American document
Declaration of Independence
What form of government did Jean Jacques Rousseau believe was the best?
Believed that direct democracy with the citizens being the sovereign, was the best form of government
The actual government would be compromised of magistrates whose duty would be to enforce the laws and protect the general welfare of the people
Rousseau did not agree with
The idea of a representative government
Montesquieu’s writings are where we first see what ideas?
Three branches of governments, operating independently from one another with a system of checks and balances
Montesquieu’s theory on the issue became the foundation for what American document?
U.S constitution
