powerpoint for 1/18/12

1. The Formation of
Governments
Ch. 1, sec 2

2. Unitary vs. Federal
 Unitary system-
 All key powers to national or central govt.
 Central govt. can create local govts. and choose to
give them some power.
 Great Britain, Italy, France
 Federal System-
 Power divided between national govt. and provincial
governments (states in the U.S.)
 Canada, Switzerland, Mexico, Australia, India, and
Russia

3. Constitutions and
Government
 Plan for rules of govt
 Purposes:
 1. sets out shared ideals
 2. basic structure- defines powers and
duties
 3. supreme law (rules)
 U.S. has oldest written constitution still
in use (1787)
 Constitutional Government- written
constitution places limits on the leaders
of government

4. Constitutions
 Incomplete- impossible to include every
law in one document
 Amendments can be made
 Some countries (ex: China) have laws
written in their constitution that they fail to
follow.
 Some contain a preamble- statement of
goals

6. U.S. Constitution
 Organized into articles and
sections
 U.S. Constitution has 7
articles and 21 sections
 Constitutional Law-
interpretation and application
of the constitution.
 limits of govt. power
 Rights of citizens

7. Politics and Government
 Politics- the effort to control the conduct of government
 Voting, protesting, debating, joining a party, etc.
 Tries to maximize benefits while reducing costs
 Different groups advocate for the govt to pass laws acting in their
interest.
 Politics help manage conflicts in society
 The bad side of politics
 Bribery, corruption
 General welfare sacrificed for the desires of wealthy special
interest groups
 James Madison warned us against this in The Federalist
Papers

8. Inequalities
 Industrialized nations-
 Large industries and advanced
technologies
 Ex:
U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia, Franc
e
 Developing nations-
 Limited industrial development
 Starvation, disease, political turmoil
 Ex: most of Sub-Saharan Africa and
Southeast Asia
 In Between – Newly Industrialized
Nations
 Mexico, South
Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Algeria,
Kenya

10. Interdependence
 Increased technologies- closely
linked economies-more
interdependence
 Multinational corporations
 Ex: Nabisco, BP, Mitsubishi, Sony
 Many developing nations depend
heavily on industrialized nations
 Economic aid
 Medical aid
 Natural disaster recovery
 Military aid