1102GIR Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Special Relationship, Aristocracy, Gun Control
4 May 2018
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L1. Introduction
Course Introduction
• Lack of care toward global conflict
• Acceptance of governmental power over us
• Trust that military power is secure, without knowledge
Lecture Aims
By the end of this lecture, you should be able to:
• Distinguish the "modern state" from other forms of government
• Define and distinguish between power and authority
• Compare and contrast power and authority
• Understand why state authority is never absolute
The Modern State
• What is the modern state?
• Different to sub-national governments (e.g. Queensland, New South Wales)
• Progress from European Government to today's governance
• The modern state came from Europe, exported through colonialism and war
• Monty Python can help us answer this question by showing us what it is not
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7zbWNznbs
• Difference between modern state and previous governance
• Not completely accurate - comedic
• Early medieval times, just after the fall of the Roman Empire (Dark Ages)
Medieval Government (According to Monty Python)
• Authority derived from God
• "We have been charged by God with a sacred quest"
• Authority: claim to have a right to rule over people
• 'Divine right of kings to rule'
• Special relationship with God
• Interference with other countries, irrelevant to own country, because "god said so"
• No external sovereignty
• "What are you doing in England?"
• "… Mind you on usiness!"
• External sovereignty: right to rule cannot be interfered with by outsiders
• No respect for country borders
• Norman Conquest of England (1066):
• Duke of Normandy came to England, fought Anglo-Saxons and won
• Britain was ruled by Normandy for a period of time
• Could be 'King' of several countries
• No way of enforcing external sovereignty
• No internal sovereignty
• "If he ill gie us food and shelte … he an join us on ou uest"
• "You don't frighten us!"
• "Run away! Run away!"
• Internal sovereignty: absolute right to rule over territory, ultimately and without
question
• Kings were weak and vulnerable due to lack of military support and technology and a
lack of sovereign principles, meaning they had to persuade nobility for support
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
