Why is government necessary? - Polk School District

Why is government necessary?

Governments serves many functions

Protects the people from outside attacks Protects people from inside violence (crime) Ensures that all people have their basic needs met Provides education Ensures adequate healthcare Protect individual liberties

What are some other functions of gov?

Government Basics:

Government: the institution through which society makes and enforces its public policies

Public Policy: all the decisions that a government makes for its people

Government must have POWER to make & carry out its public policies

Types of Powers:

Legislative Power: the power to make law/policy Executive Power: the power to carry out & enforce law/policy Judicial Power: the power to define & interpret the law and the power

to settle disputes

Constitution: a country's basic beliefs about government including its principles, structure, framework, and processes ? usually written.

Politics: the process thru which government is conducted

The State:

The State is the dominate political unit

A State must have the following:

Population: the people living in a state.

Homogeneous: all people share a common culture, language, ideology, etc

Heterogeneous: people come from different cultures, languages, etc.

Defined Territory: the land a state occupies w/set & recognized boundaries

Organized Government: a way of making & enforce laws Sovereignty: supreme and absolute power w/in own

boundaries ? no other state can claim power over it

Types of Governments:

Autocracies

(Totalitarian Regimes)

Dictatorships: a type of government controlled by 1 person w/absolute control

Oligarchy: a type of government controlled by small group

Monarchy: a type of government controlled by a king/queen

Republics

Republic: a government ruled by the people

Democracy: a government in which the supreme authority rests with the people

Direct democracy: all citizens rule

Indirect/Representative Democracy: citizens rule thru elected representatives

Types of

Governments

Democracy

Governments ruled by the

people

Autocracy

Governments ruled by

absolute leader

(s)

Direct Democracy (Pure Democracy) The people make all

decisions of the government via meetings & voting.

Indirect Democracy (Representative Democracy) The people elect representatives to make government decisions

Dictatorship

The power to rule is held by 1 person

Oligarchy

The power to rule is held by a small

group of individuals

Republic The people who are eligible to vote choose the representatives to make government

decisions

Constitutional Monarchy

The nation has a king/queen, but is led by an elected group of

people. Example, Great Britain

Absolute Monarchy The right to rule is handed down from generation to generation

Military Dictatorship The ruler is put in power by the

military

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