Ideals and Types of Democracy

Government and its Purpose

Government

Government is composed of the formal and informal institutions, people, and processes used to create and conduct public policy.
“Who gets what, when, and how” - Harold Lasswell

Public Policy

Government doing the things that are necessary to maintain legitimate authority and control over society

Purposes of Government

Each nation must decide what the purpose of their government must be
The Preamble to the United States Constitution lays out the goals for the American government (“We the People…”)

Purposes Outlined in the Preamble

The “more perfect union” is the goal, while the following lists are used more as the target points that needed to be established - similar to a list, rather than a sentence.
Forming a “More Perfect Union” * Creating a strong union of the states while maintaining state sovereignty
Establishing Justice * Reasonable, fair, equal law
Insuring Domestic Tranquility * Preservation of public order
Providing for the Common Defense * Protection and maintenance of national defense
Promoting the General Welfare * Providing public services and economic health of the nation
Securing the Blessings of Liberty * Promoting individual freedoms * They were secured “to ourselves and to our posterity”: maintaining the freedoms throughout not only that time, but for their descendants and into the future.

Forms of Government

Anarchy - Lack of government

Autocracy - Rule by one

Absolute Monarchy * Ruler gains power through inheritance * No restrictions on power
Constitutional Monarchy * i.e. England today * Ruler gains power through inheritance * Formal restrictions are imposed on the power * Often, these monarchs are restricted to a ceremonial status.
Dictatorship * Ruler seizes and maintains power by force * Opposition to regimes are restricted * No restrictions are imposed on the dictatorship

Oligarchy - Rule by a few

Aristocracy * Rule by the elite * Usually determined by social status or wealth
Theocracy * Rule by religious leaders

Democracy - Rule by the people

Direct Democracy * Citizens meet and make decisions about public policy issues * EVERY citizen in the society participated actively in the government * Most famously represented by Ancient Athens, but early New England used a form of direct democracy
Representative Democracy * Citizens choose officials (representatives) * Representatives make decisions about public policy

Foundations of American Democracy

Creating the Democracy

In 1776, colonists presented the Declaration of Independence to the British Crown to break away from Britain’s control
Following the American Revolutionary War, the U.S. government operated under the Articles of Confederation * The Articles of Confederation were ineffective in practice * Several mistakes were included in the articles * They created the Constitution as a replacement
Delegates gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft a new constitution
Fierce debate occurred between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists when drafting a new constitution, and whether what was created should be implemented * Federalists were in favor of the Constitution * Anti-Federalists were against the Constitution and thought it needed more work
After the conflict, the states ratified the Constitution in 1788

Parts of the Constitution

The Constitution defined three branches of government, relations among the states, national and state powers, and the process to alter (amend) the Constitution
One important concept included is checks and balances * Keeps any one branch from becoming too powerful
The amendment process allowed for the Bill of Rights to be added in 1791

Federalism in America

Established by the Constitution
Federalism is a system of government that divides the power between national and state governments
As new national concerns have emerged, Congress has used its power to set policies to address those issues
States have used their powers to maintain jurisdiction over other issues
For example, public schools are a state power, rather than a federal power.

American Independence and Early National Government

The Years of the 1770s - The American Colonists and British government came into conflict over a series of taxes levied by King George III

Leaders of the 13 Colonies challenged British authority

Enlightenment Inspiration

Argued for natural, God-given rights
Social Contract * The agreement between a democratic government and the people * “The government should exist only if the people allow it to exist.” * The concept that the government serves the people, and if they don’t serve the people, then it should be removed

Taxation in the 1770s

Britain levied taxes on the colonists to pay for the debts created by the 7 Years War * The French & Indian War
The American Colonies had plenty of resources that could be turned into revenue
Mercantilism * A country making as much money as possible by exploiting the resources of its colonies (profiting off of the colonies without offering anything in return). * England wanted to conquer the land and exploit its resources without harming their own * The addition of NEW taxes to the mercantilism they were doing on America was the largest spark of the Revolutionary War
1764 - Sugar Act * Tax on sugar
1765 - Stamp Act * Tax on legal documents
1773 - Tea Act * Tax on tea
American colonists began to oppose taxes for practical and economic reasons

Taxation and the Colonies

“No taxation without representation” * Parliament argued that the colonists were “virtually represented” * Conceptualized that if the colonists were British, those in the Parliament were also British, and thus their ideals would be aligned * 90% of the British population did not have the right to vote - only the rich, wealthy, and important did.
In 1775, Colonist leaders send the Olive Branch Petition to King George * King George III rejected the petition * He refused to even read the letter

Influence of Enlightenment Thought

The Enlightenment

The Sons of Liberty and other advocates for freedom were inspired by political theories of the Enlightenment * John Locke * Jean-Jacques Rousseau * Baron de Montesquieu

John Locke

Believed that people could learn from experiences and improve
People had the natural ability to govern their own affairs and look after the welfare of society
Natural rights of life, liberty, and property
It is the government’s duty to protect these rights, and the people’s duty to rise up if the government didn’t.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Influenced by the writings of John Locke
“Discourse on Inequality” (1754) * Thoughts on human state of nature * Private property is the original source of inequality
“The Social Contract” (1762) * Classical republicanism * Sovereignty through direct democracy
The only reason government exists is that the people allow it to exist

Baron de Montesquieu

“The Spirit of the Laws” (1748)
If you give one person all the control, they have absolute authority, and it doesn’t work.
Separation of powers

Types of Democracy

Participatory Democracy

Depends on direct participation of many, if not most, people in a society
Not only government related matters, but public life as well
People vote directly on laws and other matters that affect them
Examples: * 5th Century Athenian Democracy * 20th and 21st century protest movements

Pluralist Democracy

Non-governmental groups organize to try to exert influence on political decision-making
Interest Groups * Policy advocates or labor unions

Elite Democracy

Elected representatives make decisions and act as trustees for the people who elected them * Recognizes an inequity in the spread of power among the populace and the elites
Individuals with the most time, education, money, and access to the government will take more action than those with less privilege

Declaring Independence

The Declaration of Independence

By summer of 1776, the Continental Congress commissioned a committee to draft an official statement to summarize the colonists’ views * Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston
This document became the Declaration of Independence * Justified a break from Britain and gave reasons for independence * Signed by the delegates on July 4, 1776