Principles of Government 9/1/25 (for gov quiz)

Government

The institution through which society makes and enforces public policies

Public Policies

All those things that the government decides to do (taxes, education, crime)

Legislative

Power to make laws and to frame public policies

Executive

Power to execute, enforce, and administer laws

Judicial

The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning

Dictatorship

Powers many be held by a single person or by a small group

Democracy

Supreme authority rests with the people

State

A body of people living in a defined territory, organized politically, and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of a higher authority

1) Characteristics of a state

Population: large or small, every single state needs a population to exist

2) Characteristics of a state

Territory: Every state needs to have land with recognized borders

3) Four characteristics of a state

Sovereignty: The State has absolute power within its territory- they can decide their own policies

4) Characteristics of a state

Government: mechanism through which a state makes and enforces its policies

Force Theory

Individual or group claimed control of the territory

Evolutionary Theory

Population formed out of primitive families

Divine Right Theory

God created the state, making it sovereign

Social Contract Theory

A population in a given place gave up as much power to a government as needed to promote the well-being of all

Indirect Democracy

Small group of elected officials listen to the people make laws for them we can re-elect

Direct Democracy

Can only work with very small populations and territories there are no nation direct democracies in the world today

Autocracy

Government with a single person holds unlimited power

Oligarchy

Power is held by a small self appointed group of elite individuals

Unitary Government

All powers are held by a certain agency

Federal

Powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments

Confederation

Alliance of independent states

Confederate Government

Has very limited power, cannot make many decisions on defense and foreign affairs (we are a confederate gov)

Presidential

Features a separation of powers between executive and legislative branches, the president is chosen by the people

Parliamentary

The executive branch is made up of the prime minister or premier and their cabinet prime minister is the leader of the majority party