Government

ImageWhat would happen without government? Would there be any laws? Governments make laws. Even if there were laws, who would enforce them, without government? Governments hire police and set up courts. These are only a few of the things that government does.

Many groups have governments—people who are in charge. Schools and clubs are two examples. Usually, however, the word government refers to the people in charge of a country, a state, or a city. The people in charge have a system for governing (ruling). This system for governing is also referred to as a government.

WHAT DO GOVERNMENTS DO?

The basic function of a government is to provide stability. It does so by maintaining order within a country and by protecting the country’s borders from outside attack. Governments make laws and enforce laws to protect people’s rights. They organize a country’s military defenses, and they make agreements with other countries to keep peace.

Governments also provide many services, such as schools, parks, sewage systems, and streets and highways. They print money and make coins. They generally regulate, or control, activities such as trade and transportation. Government regulations may also protect people against faulty products, unclean water and air, and other dangers.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOVERNMENT

People have developed several different types of government over the course of history. One is monarchy. In this type of government, one person is the monarch, usually a king or queen, or an emperor or empress. When a monarch dies, power passes to one of the monarch’s children or, if there are no children, to another family member. In the past, monarchs were completely in charge of their countries. They chose all other officials. Today, most monarchs have much less power. The United Kingdom, for example, has a monarch with very limited powers.

A second type of government is the republic. In a republic, the people elect (choose) the rulers and top officials. These rulers and officials do not hold power for life. They are elected for a specific period of time. After that time is up, the group chooses another ruler. Most democracies, like the United States, are also republics. In a democratic republic, the people have rights that no ruler may cut off. The people can also replace their rulers.

Republics can turn into dictatorships. In a dictatorship, one person—the dictator—has total power. Dictators can usually do whatever they want. Everyone must obey a dictator. In some dictatorships, a small group rules, rather than one individual. In a military dictatorship, the ruling officials are military officers. Some dictatorships call themselves republics.

MORE THAN ONE GOVERNMENT

Many countries have a federal system. In a federal system, power is shared between a central government and smaller government units. In the United States, for example, there is a federal, or central, government for the entire country. In addition, each of the 50 states has its own government.

In some matters, the state governments have final say. In other matters, the federal government rules. Each state, for example, sets its own speed limits. Only the federal government, however, can mint money or declare war.

HOW DID GOVERNMENT DEVELOP?

In earliest times, people lived in small groups. Everyone knew everyone. Not much government was needed. As human communities grew larger, governments began to form. Priests and warriors headed the first governments. The top ruler was often seen as a god. Ancient Egypt had such a government.

Around 500 bc, small city-states formed in Greece. In these city-states, citizens made group decisions together. Each citizen had a voice. Later, the Romans created a new kind of republic. They elected officials to represent them. These officials governed the people. A set of laws governed the officials.

True national governments took shape around the 15th century. Each government ruled a territory surrounded by a border. Its laws had to be obeyed by everyone living within those borders. These nations all started out as monarchies. Their governments merely kept order, punished crimes, fought off invaders, and made war. No one expected more from the government.

Over time, many monarchies turned into democratic republics. In today’s democracies, most citizens believe the government has duties as well as powers. They expect the government to provide services. They expect it to help solve problems such as poverty.

Source: Microsoft ® Encarta