Politics

Review (Brief History)

The State

Definition
The activities associated with the
governance of a country or other
area, especially the debate or
conflict among individuals or
parties having or hoping to achieve
power.Oxford Dictionaries
The study of government and the
state. Oxford Dictionaries

Primitive stage
Tribes
Sedentary
Sense of belonging sharing a common
past.
Punishments to stablish a sense of
law.

Greece
Polis (State cities) social organization
with political institutions.
Social stratification
Aristoteles: Types of governments
Monarchy: tiranny
Aristocracy: oligarchy
Democracy: demos government

Res publica: Citizens participation

Middle Age
Feudalism:
Land = worth
Catholic church: battle for the power
Pope (Italy) vs. Nobility (Spain and
France)

Reinassance
Machiavelli: Political
Science
The Prince (1513)
The ends justifies the
means.
Be feared instead of
loved.
War is justified when it
is necessary.

Reinassance
Jean Bodin
Sovereignty (a self
governing state
capacity-)
From the people to
the sovereing.
Controversial term

Reinassance (England)
Thomas Hobbes
Leviathan
Problem: how human beings
can live together in peace
and avoid the danger and
fear of civil conflict.
Solution: obedience to an
unaccountable sovereign (a
person or group empowered
to decide every social and
political issue)

Modern State (Enlightenment)

Adam Smith:
Laissez faire, laissez passer
The Wealth of Nations (1776)
Economic freedom
Bourgeoisie: new social class.
Someone earning money by his own labor
benefits himself.

Modern State (Enlightenment)

John Locke (1632-1704)
Opposition to authoritarianism; use of reason,
human rights.

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de

Montesquieu (1689-1755)
Theory of the separation of powers which had an
enormous impact on liberal political theory
(legislative, executive, and judicial power)

Jean-JacquesRousseau (1712-1778):
The Social Contract Theory
The central claim of his work is that human beings
are basically good by nature, but were corrupted by
the complex historical events that resulted in
present day civil society.

The State: What is it?

Conditions for the existence of a State of Law

Recognition of the supreme ethical values of
Law, joined with the societys will to follow
them.
Remember:
Principles
of Law

A group of techniques that will be useful to

practice the submission to the law.

Butwhich techniques?

Techniques
1. Existence
of
a
constitution
(supreme
character)
2. Establishment of certain rights or guarantees
3. Recognition of the principle of legality
(accordance w/the law)
4. Division of powers
5. Possibility of participation of the citizens in
public affairs
6. Free role of the media
7. Capacity to complain or appeal any judicial
ruling.

The Constitution
Definition
Fundamental law,
Document that contains all
the basic rulings on the
organization and structure of a
state.
Origins:
This idea was first expressed
in Europe in the XVI century
More important in the 13
English colonies United
States (1784)

The constitution

Contents and classification

A constitution must contain:

Individual and social rights that
the state must protect.
Clear
indications
of
the
government institutions and
organizations.
Organization and structure of
the public administration.

Classification
According
presentation

to

their

Written and non written

According to their reform

procedure:
Rigid and flexible

Types of government
Presidential
Direct election
Fixed periods
Very clear
separation of
powers

Parliamentary
Congress elected
directly (president
indirectly)
Flexible periods
Requires coalitions

Head of State & Head of

Government
What is the difference..??

Legislative power
Dictate, modify and revoke the laws that
rule the country.
Steps for the creation of laws
Initiative
Only the congressmen, the executive power, and
the states of the federation

Discussion
Approval (depending on the matter)
Sanction (signature)
Put in force

Executive power (Administration)

It is characterized by
the group of activities
by which the state
provides
the
satisfaction of public
need.
Achieved through a
series of organisms,
closely related, that
have
a
common
hierarchy according to
the law.

Executive power (Administration)

This organisms create the so-called
public administration.
It can be handle following two
directions:
Centralized and,
Decentralized

This function is personalized in the

Head of the State

Jurisdictional power
It must solve, by using the laws, all
the controversies that might arise
between private parties and the
state.
The judges interpret and apply the
law, in order to provide a ruling
(sentencia) that must be obeyed
by the parties in conflict.

What is power??
Capacity to influence others
actions.
Implies the interaction between
FREEDOM and ORDER
Can be exercised through:
Authority
Influence
Control of resources

Definition of Authority
The power or right to give orders ,
make decisions, and enforce
obedience
A person or organization having
power or control in a particular,
typically political or administrative,
sphere
According to Oxford Dictionaries

Governments authority
Characteristics
Socially recognized
Impersonal
Exercised by the government to carry out the
actions that lead the country to the common
good.
It ismanifestedthrough:
Ability togiveorders
The creationof lawsandregulations
The administration ofpublic goods and services

Leadership
Why follow a person and gave it political power?
Max Weber (1948): one of the first leadership
theorists to recognize that leadership itself
was situational in nature, and that true leaders
needed to move dynamically from one type of
leadership style to another to remain
successful. Typesofleaders
Traditional
Functional
Charismatic

Why do we need leaders..?

Individuals need to participate in
politics according to their beliefs
There are several ways in which
this can be possible:
Political parties
Lobbies and,
Civil society

Political parties
They were originated in their modern
form in Europe and the U.S. in the 19th
century.

Also, they develop a political program

that defines their ideology
Sets out the agenda they would pursue to
gain power.
**The manner of thinking that characterized a
group. The way they perceived reality.

Background
Cadre parties: (18th and 19th century)
Aim at attracting only an active elite.
Vote wasrestrictedtowhite men with property and
to those that paid taxes.
Masseswere nottakenintoaccount.

Mass-based parties: (20th century)

Appeal for support to the whole electorate,
all the people which were interested in
participate.
With a strong structure and organization.

Systems
Multiparty: Depends on the type of
the electoral system.
Usually the main example of
Democracy
Not for the USA & Great Britain

In Europe: Conservative, Liberal and

Socialist.
In Latin America: Conservative &
Liberal

Systems
Bipartisan: Tends to be unstable. But the
reason why it works in the following
examples is because they have
Constitutions before the 20th century.
USA: Historical background federalists vs.
Republicans. Then Republicans vs.
Democrats
Cadre parties;
Both liberals but Republicans tend to be more
conservative.

Great Britain: Historical background

conservative vs. liberal (Tories & Whigs).
Nowadays Conservative and Labour.

Systems
Single / Hegemonic party:
Communists or Socialists
countries.
Totalitarism Fascist
Italy, Germany, USSR
Mexico?
1929 Plutarco Elas Calles (Partido Nacional
Revolucionario) Hegemonic
1994 Dominant
2000 Opposition

Lobbies and Civil society

Characteristics
Whenpeopleorganize themselves
toparticipateinpublic affairs
Hasvery specific demands
Flexible organizations
Seek to influencegovernment
decisions
Take actions to complement those
the government do.