GVPT170 Midterm Latest 2023 100% Pass

GVPT170 Midterm Latest 2023 100% Pass The purposes of government 1. maintain order - without government there will be disorder 2. provide for the general welfare - public goods are benefits and services available to everyone Social contract the agreement we make with our government to abide by rules and laws in exchange for government protecting our rights and welfare authority ability to make laws power getting someone to do something they would not otherwise do (enforcement) Legitimacy extent to which the governed give government the authority and right to exercise power US is a reflection of the importance of the legitimacy of the government and popular sovereignty What is politics? "the way in which institutions are organized to make rules, and policies, and how those institutions are influenced" "who gets what, when, and how" What are the three key features of politics? 1. conflict 2. complex - politics is complicated 3. process - not just outcomes Some sources of conflict in US politics - economic interests - culture - identity: race, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation - ideology - partisanship Importance of Rules in Political Conflicts - rules are not impartial - rules affect the outcomes - establishing the rules often involves conflict: talking about rules brings up conflict representative democracy A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people. constitutional democracy a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution. American Political Culture - America does not have a common ancestry to define it's political culture - central principles: political equality, plurality rule and minority rights, equality before the law Why has the constitutional experiment in the US lasted and succeeded when so many others have not? 1. provides stability - hard to change anything and fix issues 2. offers flexibility - too much flexibility leads to no stability - no idea what things will look like in 5 years because things are always changing The balance of these two characteristics is essential to understanding American politics. The Colonial Experience - rules by royal governors on behalf of the King of England - each colony had its own identity and economy - French and Indian War ended in 1763 - left British victorious but deep in debt - Britain's response was to place new regulations and taxes on colonies to offset its debt Why did the colonists revolt? - Dislike of monarchy and taxation without representation (Stamp Act of 1765) - increasing frequency of protests in the colony (Boston Tea Party in 1773 which led to passage of Intolerable Acts in 1774) - First Continental Congress in 1774 - denounce British policy and announce boycotts - Second Continental Congress (1775) - decide whether to reconcile with the British or go to war Declaration of Independence (1776) - influence of political philosopher John Locke: people have natural inalienable rights, legitimate political authority is