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The government is a system of retards working to control a horny nation, deven that is right |
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{{Executive}} |
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A '''government''' is a body that has the [[authority]] to make and the [[Political power|power]] to enforce laws within a [[civil]], [[corporation|corporate]], [[religious]], [[academic]], or other [[organization]] or group. In its broadest sense, "to govern" means to administer or supervise, whether over a [[state]], a set group of people, or a collection of assets. |
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The word ''government'' is ultimately derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''κυβερνᾶν'' (''kybernan''), which means "to steer". |
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Typically, "the government" refers to the executive function. In many countries (particularly those having [[parliament]]ary systems), the '''[[executive (government)|government]]''' refers to the executive branch of government or a specifically named executive, such as the [[Tony Blair|Blair government]] (compare to the '''[[administration#Government|administration]]''' as in the [[George W. Bush|Bush administration]] in U.S. usage). In countries using the [[Westminster system]], the [[political party|party]] in government will also usually control the [[legislature]]. |
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The "[[Welsh Assembly Government]]" is the name of the executive branch of Wales, and "Scottish government" is the unofficial term to describe the [[Scottish Executive]]. |
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==Branches of government== |
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In [[political theory]], government is understood as having three main powers: [[legislative]] (the power to make laws), [[executive (government)|executive]] (the power to implement laws) and [[judiciary]] (the power to judge and apply punishment when laws are broken). It is normally assumed, at least in democracies, that nomination and election resides with the citizens. But even in a democracy such as in the U.S., the President nominates Supreme Court Justices and the Senate confirms (elects) them. Also in the case of electing the President, the citizens do not elect the President. They elect "[[United States Electoral College|electors]]" who in turn elect the President. In the Parliamentary system, Parliament nominates and elects the Prime Minister. Clearly, the powers to nominate and elect must be included as distinct powers. |
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Under traditional forms of government that ruled most of the world until a few centuries ago, such as [[monarchy]] and [[oligarchy]], these powers were concentrated in the hands of one person or a small group of people. One of the innovations of modern [[democracy]] is the [[separation of powers]] into three distinct branches of government that operate independently while acting as checks and balances for each other. This separation is supposed to prevent any one individual or small group from acquiring too much power for themselves and becoming despotic. |
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==Forms of government== |
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{{main|Forms of government}} |
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Many different forms of government have existed in the past, exist today, or may exist in the future. They are traditionally classified according to the number of people who hold political power: |
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*[[Autocracy|Autocracies]] are governments where one individual ultimately holds all power. This category includes [[absolute monarchy|absolute monarchies]] as well as republican [[dictatorship]]s with an all-powerful president or other central figure. |
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*[[Oligarchy|Oligarchies]] are governments where political power is held by a small group of individuals who share similar interests with each other. A common type of oligarchy is [[plutocracy]], where the small group of powerful individuals is composed of the wealthiest members of society. |
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*[[Democracy|Democracies]] are governments where the [[people]] as a whole - hold political power. It may be exercised by them ([[direct democracy]]), or through representatives chosen by them ([[representative democracy]]). |
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The lines between some of the above forms of government can sometimes be ambiguous. For example, during the 19th century, most self-proclaimed "democracies" restricted voting rights to a minority of the population (e.g. property-owning males). This could qualify them as oligarchies rather than democracies{{citation required}}. On the other hand, the voting minority was often quite large (20-30% of the population) and its members did not form the compact group with common interests that is the hallmark of most oligarchies. Thus, this form of government occupied a space between democracy and oligarchy as they are understood today. |
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==Ideas about governmental origin== |
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There are a wide range of theories about the reasons for establishing governments. The four major ones are briefly described below. Note that they do not always fully oppose each other - it is possible for a person to subscribe to a combination of ideas from two or more of these theories. |
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===Force Theory=== |
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Many political philosophies that are opposed to the existence of a government (such as [[Anarchism]], and to a lesser extent [[Marxism]]), as well as others, emphasize the historical roots of governments - the fact that governments, along with [[private property]], originated from the authority of warlords and petty despots who took, by force, certain patches of land as their own (and began exercising authority over the people living on that land). Thus, it is argued that governments exist to enforce the will of the strong and oppress the weak, maintaining and protecting the privilege of a ruling class. Mainstream anarchism argues that government primarily interferes to protect property rights, while [[Anarcho-capitalism]] argues that government primarily violates property rights. Other minority ideologies in anarchism such as [[Anarcho-primitivism]] argues against domestication, while [[Black anarchism]] and [[Anarcha-feminism]] argue that the ruling class is whites and men, respectively. |
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===Order and tradition=== |
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The various forms of [[conservatism]], by contrast, generally see the government as a positive force that brings order out of chaos, establishes laws to end the "[[Bellum omnium contra omnes|war of all against all]]", encourages moral [[virtue]] while punishing [[vice]], and respects [[tradition]]. Sometimes, in this view, the government is seen as something ordained by a higher power, as in the [[divine right of kings]], which human beings have a duty to obey. |
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===Natural rights=== |
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[[Natural rights]] are the basis for the theory of government shared by most branches of [[liberalism]] (including [[libertarianism]]). In this view, human beings are born with certain ''natural rights'', and governments are established strictly for the purpose of protecting those rights. While there is much controversy in the details of natural rights, the tradition of liberalism generally recognize three fundamental natural rights: a right to life, liberty and property. These rights are a common thread of debate from modern natural rights theorists such as [[Tibor Machan]] to [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] thinkers such as [[John Locke|Locke]], [[Immanuel Kant|Kant]], or [[Thomas Jefferson|Jefferson]]. |
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===Social contract=== |
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One of the most influential theories of government in the past two hundred years has been the [[social contract]], on which modern [[democracy]] and most forms of [[socialism]] are founded. The social contract theory holds that governments are created by the people in order to provide for collective needs (such as safety from crime, poverty, illiteracy) that cannot be properly satisfied using purely individual means. Governments thus exist for the purpose of serving the needs and wishes of the people, and their relationship with the people is clearly stipulated in a "social contract" (a [[constitution]] and a set of laws) which both the government and the people must abide by. If a majority is unhappy, it may change the social contract. If a minority is unhappy, it may persuade the majority to change the contract, or it may opt out of it by emigration or secession. |
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==Governmental operations== |
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{{main|government operations}} |
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Governments concern themselves with regulating and administering many areas of human activity, such as [[trade]], [[education]], or [[medicine]]. Governments also employ different methods to maintain the established order, such as [[Covert#government secrecy|secrecy]], [[police]] and [[military forces]], (particularly under [[despotism]], see also [[police state]]), making agreements with other states, and maintaining support within the state. Typical methods of maintaining support and legitimacy include providing the [[infrastructure]] for [[administration]], [[justice]], [[transport]], [[communication]], [[social welfare]] etc., claiming support from [[deity|deities]], providing benefits to [[elites]], providing [[retailing|shops]] for important posts within the state, limiting the power of the state through [[law]]s and [[constitution]]s and appealing to [[nationalism]]. Different political ideologies hold different ideas on what the government should or should not do. The modern standard unit of [[territory]] is a [[country]]. In addition to the meaning used above, the word [[state]] can refer either to a government or to its territory. Within a territory, [[subnational entity|subnational entities]] may have [[local government]]s which do not have the full power of a national government (for example, they will generally lack the authority to declare war or carry out diplomatic. |
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==Size of government== |
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''Main articles: [[government ownership]], [[government spending]]'' |
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The scale to which government should exist and operate in the world is a matter of debate. Government spending in [[developed countries]] varies considerably but generally makes up between about 30% and 70% of their [[Gross domestic product|GDP]]. One major exception is the United States, where central government spending takes up less than 20% of GDP.<sup>[citation needed]</sup> |
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==See also== |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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* [[Anarchism]] |
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* [[Civics]] |
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* [[Conspiracy theories]] |
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* [[Constitution]] |
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* [[Democracy]] |
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* [[Bipartidism]] |
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* [[Federation]] |
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* [[Forms of government]] |
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* [[Governor]] |
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* [[government ownership]] |
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* [[government simulation]] |
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* [[Head of State]] |
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* [[Human Freedom]] |
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* [[Leadership]] |
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* [[Libertarianism]] |
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* [[Machinery of government]] |
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* [[Minority government]] |
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* [[Non Governmental Organization]] |
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* [[Politics]] |
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* [[Political corruption]] |
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* [[Premier]] |
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* [[Purpose of government]] |
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* [[Ruler]] |
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* [[Statesman]] |
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===Relevant lists=== |
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* [[List of democracy and elections-related topics]] |
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* [[List of fictional governments]] |
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[[Category:Government| ]] |
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[[am:መንግሥት]] |
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[[ar:حكومة]] |
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[[bn:সরকার]] |
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[[bs:Vlada]] |
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[[ca:Govern]] |
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[[cy:Llywodraeth]] |
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[[da:Regering]] |
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[[de:Regierung]] |
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[[es:Gobierno]] |
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[[eo:Registaro]] |
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[[fr:Gouvernement]] |
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[[gl:Goberno]] |
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[[ko:정부]] |
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[[hi:सरकार]] |
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[[hr:Vlada]] |
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[[id:Pemerintah]] |
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[[is:Ríkisstjórn]] |
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[[it:Governo]] |
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[[he:ממשלה]] |
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[[lb:Regierung]] |
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[[lt:Vyriausybė]] |
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[[hu:Kormány (állami szerv)]] |
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[[mi:Kāwanatanga]] |
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[[ms:Kerajaan]] |
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[[nl:Regering]] |
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[[ja:政府]] |
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[[no:Styresmakt]] |
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[[nn:styresmakt]] |
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[[pl:Rada Ministrów]] |
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[[pt:Governo]] |
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[[ro:Guvern]] |
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[[ru:Правительство]] |
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[[simple:government]] |
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[[sl:Vladavina]] |
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[[sv:Regering]] |
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[[ta:அரசு]] |
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[[tl:Pamahalaan]] |
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[[th:รัฐบาล]] |
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[[vi:Chính phủ]] |
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[[yi:רעגירונג]] |
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[[zh:政府]] |
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Revision as of 22:08, 7 November 2006
The government is a system of retards working to control a horny nation, deven that is right