Exam 14: The Functions and Forms of Government

What is the democratic concept of an individual, and why is it important in government? What is the role of the individual in a democratic government? How does the individual relate to the basic characteristics of a democracy?

Oliver Wendell Holmes and William O. Douglas both held the view of government as a:

What is the right environment in which a democracy will work best? Describe at least five specific characteristics of the right environment for democracy. What are some possible consequences of not having the right environment for democracy? Is democracy a Western ideology?

Democracy is a Western ideology. For democracy to work, one needs the right environment, which includes:

Anarchists believe that institutions, like private property and the state, exploit and corrupt humans.

Libertarians advocate strong governments led by educated elite.

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "I like to pay taxes. With taxes I buy civilization."

A basic function of government is to protect its citizens from internal and external enemies.

Propaganda is the product of the state controlling the press and structuring the flow of information to the people in order to make the state look good.

The view that government must exist as is and should not be tampered with because it serves a necessary function is called the:

The lack of an effective government in Libya:

The number of people counting themselves as politically independent is decreasing as more and more people affiliate themselves with one of the two mainstay parties, Republicans and Democrats.

What are the primary functions of government? How do these functions help in better understanding what government is?

Political ideology consists of:

Special interests have no role in determining government regulations.

Of all institutions of social control, government is the least inclusive.

The belief in the rule of an elite whose members have special abilities is called fascism.

Robert Nozick sees a role for a minimal state, and his views are called:

The concept of the individual as a rational being, equal to all others, is a primary idea of:

Thomas Hobbes concluded that government results from a contract among free persons desirous of preserving life and increasing its contentment.