Unit 3

LEGAL INSTITUTIONS: GOVERNMENT

Text 1

The Power of Government

Every independent country has its own form of government. The governments that people establish for themselves can influence their lives in many ways. The primary functions of government are to keep order among citizens, provide certain common services (such as education, communications, and transportation), and protect the people from attack by hostile countries. Governments decide such matters as what kinds of property should be publicly owned rather than privately owned and how much a person must pay in taxes. Governments can set educational requirements, place limits on immigration, and draft citizens into military service.

In most modern nations there are also agreements between the government and the governed. One basic form of agreement is a constitution, which defines (and limits) what a government can do and how it can do it.

Types of Government

Aristotle's Definitions

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) said that "The true forms of government…are those in which the one, or the few, or the many govern, with a view to the common interest."

A government run by one person Aristotle called a monarchy. Government by the few he called an aristocracy or an oligarchy. To describe rule by the many, Aristotle used the Greek word demos, meaning "common people." He called government by the common people a democracy. Aristotle did not approve of democracy, however, because he believed that government by the masses could lead to disorder or lawlessness.

Autocracy

Like many other terms used in government, autocracy is derived from Greek roots, in this case those for "self" and "rule." An autocrat was a ruler with unlimited authority. Absolute monarchy, a related term, refers to a monarch who rules without checks on his or her power. Absolute monarchies exist today only in some of the states of the Arabian Peninsula.

Modern Democracy

The modern democratic state is usually a republic, in which the people freely elect representatives to express their views and wants. In addition to free elections, true democratic governments also have other standards by which they can be measured. One is freedom of speech, under which people may criticize their governments without fear of persecution. Another is the peaceful and orderly transfer of political power when new leaders are elected to office.

A constitutional monarchy is a democratic government in which the monarch is retained as the ceremonial head of state but has little or no political power. Probably the best-known constitutional monarchy is that of the United Kingdom, which has an unwritten constitution based on a large body of established law and custom.

Totalitarian Government

A totalitarian government, as its name implies, is characterized by its total control over all aspects of its citizens' political and economic activities and at least some aspects of private life. It is also marked by a distinct ideology, or set of beliefs, as in Fascism, Nazism, or Communism. The term authoritarian government is sometimes used for a similar form of government but one that does not exert such absolute control over its people's lives.

Vocabulary

keep order – поддерживать порядок among (prep) – между, среди	root (n) – корень related (adj) – родственный
common service – общественная услуга (напр., коммунальные услуги, общественный транспорт)	refer to (v) – относиться к; касаться check (n) – ограничивание, сдерживание views (n) – взгляды, убеждения
hostile (adj) – вражеский; враждебный	in addition to – вдобавок, в дополнение к
publicly owned – принадлежащий государству или местным органам власти	measure (v) – измерять, оценивать fear (n) – страх
requirement (n) – требование	persecution (n) – гонение, преследование
draft (v) – призывать (людей в армию)	transfer (n) – передача
define (v) – определять; формулировать	retain (v) – сохранять
run (v) – руководить, управлять	probably (adv) – вероятно
with a view to – с намерением; с целью	imply (v) – предполагать, подразумевать
common people – простой народ; чернь approve of smth (v) – одобрять что-л. lawlessness (n) – беззаконие	mark (v) – отмечать, характеризовать, отличать distinct (adj) – отдельный; особый belief (n) – убеждение
autocracy (n) – автократия, самодержавие	similar (adj) – похожий, подобный
like (prep) – как что-л.; подобно чему-л.	exert control – осуществлять надзор

Comprehension Check

1. Read text 1 and choose (a), (b) or (c) to answer the questions or complete the statements.

1	Which of the following is NOT a basic function of government?
	a) to maintain social order
	b) to ensure national security
	c) to promote international trade

2	Which of the following areas of government control is NOT mentioned in the text?
	a) taxation b) foreign affairs c) social welfare

3	What was the basis for Aristotle’s definitions of the types of government?
	a) the interests of the common people
	b) the quantity1 of people in power
	c) the quality2 of the ruling group

4	What does "they" in line 39 refer to?
	a) elections b) governments c) standards

5	Which of the following is characteristic of an autocracy?
	a) the Greek roots
	b) checks on the ruler’s authority
	c) unlimited power of the ruler

6	Which of the following is NOT possible in a true democracy?
	a) political opposition
	b) control over people’s lives
	c) free election