Limits of Government
This document serves as the supreme law of the land and outlines the structure and limits of government authority.
What is a Constitution?
What is a unitary government?
A government system where all power is held by a central authority.
What is an autocracy?
A system of government where one person holds all the power.
Who wrote the Leviathan?
Thomas Hobbes.
What is federalism?
A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and regional governments.
This principle ensures that laws are applied fairly and consistently to everyone, including government officials.
What is the Rule of Law?
How does a federal government distribute power?
Power is divided between a central government and regional or local governments.
How does citizen participation differ in a democracy compared to an oligarchy?
In a democracy, citizens have the right to vote and participate in decision-making, while in an oligarchy, only a small group of people have power and influence.
How did John Locke’s ideas about natural rights influence American government?
His ideas that all people have rights to life, liberty, and property influenced the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
What is the purpose of checks and balances?
To prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful by allowing each branch to limit the powers of the others.
Dividing the government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches is an example of this principle.
What is Separation of Powers?
In what type of government is power shared between a central authority and local governments?
A federal system of government
What is the main characteristic of an Absolute authoritarian government?
It concentrates power in the hands of a single leader or a small group, with limited political freedoms for citizens.
His ideas that all people have rights to life, liberty, and property influenced the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The separation of powers into different branches of government.
What does the principle of popular sovereignty mean?
The idea that the authority of the government comes from the consent of the people by popular vote.
This principle means that the government derives its power from the approval of its citizens, often through voting.
What is Consent of the Governed?
How does a Representative democracy distribute power?
Citizens elect representatives to gain the power to pass laws the people want.
In which system does a small group of people hold power?
An oligarchy.
What does the Magna Carta represent in terms of government power?
The principle that even the king or government must follow the law, laying the foundation for limited government.
How does the Constitution limit government power?
Through principles like federalism, separation of powers, and the Bill of Rights, which protect individual freedoms and limit governmental authority.
This principle ensures that the rights and freedoms of individuals not in the majority are still protected.
What are the Rights of the Minority?
Give an example of a country with a federal system of government.
The United States, Germany, or Canada.
What type of government allows all citizens to vote directly on laws and policies?
A direct democracy.
How did Rousseau’s ideas influence the development of democratic government?
His concept of the "social contract" emphasized that government should be based on the consent of the governed, influencing the development of democracy.
Explain the concept of Checks and Balances
The separation of powers is balanced by each branch having their own powers to "Check" or Limit each others power. This allows no single person to have full control.