POL 201 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - United States Constitution, United States Congress, United States Senate
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
POL 201
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
POL 201
National Government 8/24/2016
Gov’t- made up of institutions making rules for society/setting up programs
→ create social order/orderly society
1. Provides safety for people
a. Who is it protecting you from? Negotiating a relationship with outside groups
(foreign). They also have a military. Protecting you from each other (makes laws
of how you can behave with each other and police to enforce such rules)
2. Makes life more convenient, predictable, easier
. Public goods and services
i.Sanitation, free k-12 education, community college, welfare, food stamps, health care, social
security, infrastructure (highways, roads), public libraries
→ legitimately use form
→ they have the right to hurt you/acceptable
→ government can do this/everyone is going to let it happen
Federal gov’t has the death penalty → unacceptable behavior so they get executed
→ society accepts that government has the right
-unusual relationship society has with government
Why would people put up with government? Has some negative aspects to it.
-tell you what you can/can't do
-punish you
Almost everyone in the world has a government. Why did people invent it and why do people
put up with it?
-There are benefits, they have enough power to give you things/provide things you wouldn’t
otherwise have
→ better way of life with gov’t than without it
If people have a lifestyle where they feel safe, it’s protectable, and they are able to live theirs
lives and go to work the government has done their job.
Assumption that through history people did not have government, They lived in a “state of
nature”. (Thomas Hobbes)
→ people could live without government
Anarchists- government causes problem, get rid of gov’t, no ruler, life would be better, there
would be social order because people would behave themselves
Somalia- people took over government and drifted into anarchy
→ fell into complete chaos and disorder
→ people starving, killing each other, no education, stealing
Social Contract Theory- Enlightenment philosophers as an explanation as why people invented
government. People give up some of their rights so the government in return give them benefits
(public services). A group of people began to think that their life was unacceptable and decided
to invent government. They could trade freedom and power to a leader and the leader would
keep social order for them. (they make rules, you give in). Understanding between society and
leader.
Thomas Hobbes (english) 1588 → believed in social contract theory
→ cynical/negative, people are bad, selfish, only looking out for themselves, violent, impulsive
find more resources at oneclass.com
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→ war everyday, always protect yourself, horrible life, you could never have an advanced
society
→ tough government and taken all freedom and power
→ traded all freedom and power and gave into to rules and discipline
→ once king is king, he is in charge and he has all power
John Locke (english) 1632 → believed in social contract theory
→ people are good, want the greater good, people want to get along and be cooperative.
→ people were born with a blank slate and molded to be good
→ people realized they could have a better life
→ limited giving power, constitutional monarchy, limited gov’t
→ born with basic fundamental rights, if gov’t takes too much power you can get rid of it
→ govt owes you respect
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
