Purposes of Government
This is the government function responsible for enforcing laws through police, courts, and prisons.
What is maintaining order and law?
A state must have people, land, a government, and this key element of supreme authority.
What is sovereignty?
In this system, power rests with the people.
What is democracy?
In this system, power is concentrated in a central government.
What is a unitary (centralized) government?
This principle means decisions are made by the majority while protecting minority rights.
What is majority rule with minority rights?
Providing schools, student loans, and standardized curriculum falls under this government responsibility.
What is education?
This theory argues that governments developed naturally from families and small communities.
What is evolutionary theory?
This type of democracy allows citizens to vote directly on laws and policies.
What is direct democracy?
In this system, power is divided between national and state or provincial governments.
What is a federal government?
Voting, staying informed, and participating in the community are examples of this.
What is civic engagement?
Roads, highways, and public transportation are examples of this government function.
What is infrastructure?
According to this theory, rulers claimed power because God granted them the right to rule.
What is the Divine Right of Kings theory?
This form of government has elected representatives and no monarch as head of state.
What is a republic?
This loose alliance allows member states to retain sovereignty and limit central authority.
What is a confederation?
This principle divides government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
What is separation of powers?
Protecting freedom of speech, voting rights, and equal treatment under the law falls under this purpose.
What is protecting civil rights and liberties?
This theory explains the state as the result of people agreeing to give up some freedom to create order.
What is social contract theory?
This government type is ruled by religious leaders and laws based on religious texts.
What is a theocracy?
In a federal system, this level of government controls defense and foreign policy.
What is the national (central) government?
This Enlightenment thinker argued for natural rights like life, liberty, and property.
Who is John Locke?
This government role includes taxing citizens and spending money on services like healthcare, defense, and schools.
What is taxation and public spending?
This theory claims that governments began when one person seized control and forced others to obey.
What is force theory?
This system concentrates power in one individual or small group with little to no political freedom.
What is a dictatorship?
This historical U.S. system failed because the central government lacked sufficient power.
What is the Articles of Confederation?
This concept emphasizes voluntary associations outside government that help democracy function.
What is civil society?